German War Cemetery Kleve-Dönsbrügger Heide

The German War Cemetery Kleve-Dönsbrügger Heide, also known as the Kriegsgräberstätte Donsbrüggen, is a serene and impressive cemetery located in the wooded area of ​​Donsbrüggen, near Kleve in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. This cemetery contains the graves of 2,718 victims of the Second World War.

After the end of the war, numerous graves were found in the region in various locations, such as along roads, railway lines, in fields and gardens. In order to provide these graves with a dignified and central resting place, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge began the construction of this cemetery in 1948. The official inauguration took place on 10 September 1950.

The cemetery is the final resting place for:
German soldiers who were killed or died in military hospitals in Kleve.
About 400 civilians who died in an allied bombing raid on Kleve on 7 October 1944.
About 200 foreign forced labourers of various nationalities who died during the construction of the Westwall (also known as the Siegfried Line).

Of the 2,718 graves, 2,421 are individual graves and 297 unknown victims rest in a communal grave.

The cemetery is designed with double rows of graves, surrounded by green paths and planted with birch, pine and juniper bushes. A six-metre-high chapel stands centrally on the grounds, which serves as a place of remembrance. The names of the victims are displayed inside.

In addition, there is a monument on the grounds in memory of the victims who fell on the Eastern Front.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar + RJArmy.nl
• Photos: Jimmy Hilgen (1, 2, 4), Jos Birx (3, 5)
• - Kriegsgräberstätte: Kleve-Donsbrüggen - Bau, Pflege und Instandsetzung | Volksbund.de