Matzleinsdorf Protestant Cemetery () is a historic church-owned and operated

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

cemetery located in the

Favoriten Favoriten (; ), the 10th district of Vienna, Austria (), is located south of the central districts. It is south of Innere Stadt, Wieden and Margareten. Favoriten is a heavily populated urban area with many residential buildings, but also la ...

district of

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, the capital city of

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

History and details

Throughout the centuries, the Vienna Protestants did not have their own

graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

but were buried among Catholics in Catholic cemeteries. In May 1856 Emperor

Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

agreed to reformations which allowed for the creation of cemeteries of other denominations. The Protestant church acquired a plot of land at the outlying village of Matzleinsdorf that same year and began the construction of their first cemetery in Vienna. The original plans included a chapel, a home for undertakers, a mortuary and various storage facilities. The famous Austrian architect

Theophil Hansen Baron Theophil Edvard von Hansen (; original Danish name: Theophilus Hansen, ; 13 July 1813 – 17 February 1891) was a Danish architect who later became an Austrian citizen. He became particularly well known for his buildings and structures in ...

was contracted for the project. However the construction of the cemetery would take two years as the Protestant church ran out of money and needed to finance construction through donations. Matzleinsdorf Protestant Cemetery was finally inaugurated by the leaders of two Protestant denominations on May 7, 1858.

, the designer of the cemetery, presented the keys of cemetery gates to the leaders of the two respective ecclesiastical officials.

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Building superintendent, a manager, maintenance or repair person, custodian or janitor, especially in the United States; sometimes shortened to "super" *Prison warden or superintendent, a prison administrator *Soprin ...

of the

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

H.B (Evangelische Kirche Helvetisches Bekenntnis) Gottfried Franz gave the blessing speech, while the

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

A.B (Evangelische Kirche Augsburger Bekenntnis) Superintendent Ernst Pauer performed the consecration of the burial ground, and on September 27, 1860 the chapel Christuskirche (Chapel of the Holy Christ) was completed and consecrated. The Chapel has a distinct architectural style which is reminiscent of an Eastern Orthodox Church. The architect,

, was influenced heavily by historical features prominent during the 19th century and constructed the church in a

Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion () was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' continued to be used as a n ...

style with a large dome and crowned corner pillars. The entrance has a golden mosaic that shows

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

holding a holy scroll. The interior of the chapel is characterized by 35 statues of angels made in a style similar to figureheads of Spanish

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed in Spain and Portugal. They were first used as armed cargo carriers by Europe, Europeans from the 16th to 18th centuries during the Age of Sail, and they were the principal vessels dr ...

s. They symbolize worship, dogma and annunciation. The ornate

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows are ornamented with

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

symbols, depicting the nativity, crucifixion and resurrection of the Christ. During its long history, the Matzleinsdorf cemetery became so popular among the Viennese Protestants that it needed to be enlarged twice due to a lack of space. However, when the

Zentralfriedhof The Vienna Central Cemetery () is one of the largest cemeteries in the world by number of interred, and is the most well-known among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries. The cemetery's name is descriptive of its significance as Vienna's biggest cemet ...

got its own Protestant section, the Matzleinsdorf fell into disuse and discussion about its retention embarked and lasts ever since. Finally, in 1943 the cemetery suffered heavy destruction during Allied bombings due to its proximity to the Vienna Railway Station South, a primary target of the Allied forces. Today, it has been largely restored but still suffers from competition of the more popular Protestant Section at

Selected notable burials

A few of the notables buried here are: *

Heinrich Anschütz Heinrich Anschütz (8 February 1785 in Luckau – 29 December 1865 in Vienna) was a German actor. Biography He studied at the University of Leipzig, in which city he saw the performances of August Wilhelm Iffland, Ferdinand Esslair, and othe ...

(1785–1865), German actor *

Karl Isidor Beck Karl Isidor Beck (; 1 May 1817, Baja – 10 April 1879, Vienna) was a Hungarian-Austrian poet. The son of a Jewish merchant, he studied in Pest, Vienna and Leipzig. He lived in Berlin from 1844 until the outbreak of the Revolutions of 1848, and ...

(1817–1879), Austrian poet *

Count Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust Count Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust (; 13 January 1809 – 24 October 1886) was a German and Austrian statesman. As an opponent of Otto von Bismarck, he attempted to conclude a common policy of the German middle states between Austria and Pruss ...

(1809–1886), Austrian statesman *

Karl Ludwig von Bruck Karl Ludwig Freiherr von Bruck (Elberfeld, 8 October 1798 – Vienna, 23 April 1860) was an Austrian statesman. Biography In 1821 Bruck went to Trieste in order to take part in the War for Greek Independence, and, remaining there several years, ...

(1798–1860), Austrian statesman * Ada Christen (1839–1901), Austrian writer * Christine Enghaus (1815–1910), German actress *

Christian Friedrich Hebbel Christian Friedrich Hebbel (18 March 1813 – 13 December 1863) was a German poet and dramatist. Biography Hebbel was born at Wesselburen in Dithmarschen, Holstein, the son of a bricklayer. He was educated at the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums ...

(1813–1863), German poet and dramatist *

Oskar Karlweis Oskar Leopold Karlweis (often credited Oscar Karlweis; 10 July 1894 – 24 January 1956) was an Austrian-American stage and film actor, active internationally in both the silent as well as the sound era. Career Born in Hinterbrühl, Austria-H ...

(1894–1956), Austrian actor *

Rudolf Koppitz Rudolf Koppitz (4 January 1884 – 8 July 1936) was an Austrian photographer. He moved to Vienna and was a Photo-Secessionist whose work includes straight photography and modernist images. He was one of the leading representatives of art photogr ...

(1884–1936), Austrian photographer *

Heinrich Laube Heinrich Laube (18 September 1806 – 1 August 1884), German dramatist, novelist and theatre-director, was born at Szprotawa, Sprottau in Prussian Silesia. Life He studied theology at university of Halle, Halle and university of Breslau, Breslau ...

(1806–1884), German dramatist, novelist and theatre-director *

Hermann Nothnagel Carl Wilhelm Hermann Nothnagel (; 28 September 1841 – 7 July 1905) was a German internist, born in Alt-Lietzegöricke, near Bärwalde in der Neumark, Neumark, Brandenburg. Career The son of a pharmacist, from 1858 to 1863 Nothnagel studi ...

(1841–1905), German internist *

František Martin Pecháček František Martin Pecháček, also ''Francis Martin Pechatschek, Pechaczek, Behatschek'' (10 November 1763 in Ústí nad Orlicí - 26 September 1816 in Vienna) was a Bohemian violinist, pedagog, arranger and diligent composer. His son Franz Pech� ...

(1763–1816), Czech violinist and composer *

Adele Sandrock Adele Sandrock (; 19 August 1863 – 30 August 1937) was a German actress. After a successful theatrical career, she became one of the first German movie stars. Early life Sandrock was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the daughter of the German ...

(1863–1937), German actress *

Lorenz von Stein Lorenz von Stein (18 November 1815 – 23 September 1890) was a German economist, sociologist, and public administration scholar from Eckernförde. As an advisor to Meiji period Japan, his liberal political views influenced the wording of the ...

(1815–1890), German economist, sociologist, and public administration scholar *

Hans Thirring Hans Thirring (23 March 1888 – 22 March 1976) was an Austrian theoretical physicist, professor, and father of the physicist Walter Thirring. He won the Haitinger Prize of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in 1920. Together with the mathematic ...

(1888–1976), Austrian theoretical physicist, professor, and father of the physicist

Walter Thirring Walter Eduard Thirring (29 April 1927 – 19 August 2014) was an Austrian physicist after whom the Thirring model in quantum field theory is named. He was the son of the physicist Hans Thirring.Thirring, H. Über die Wirkung rotierender ferner ...

Otto Weininger Otto Weininger (; 3 April 1880 – 4 October 1903) was an Austrian philosopher who in 1903 published the book ''Geschlecht und Charakter'' (''Sex and Character''), which gained popularity after his suicide at the age of 23. Weininger had a stron ...

(1880–1903), Austrian philosopher

Gallery

File:GuentherZ 2010-01-02 4026 Evangelischer Friedhof Wilhelm Hellwag.jpg, Matzleinsdorf Protestant Cemetery File:Grab von Otto Weininger.JPG, Grave of Otto Weininger File:Grab von Ada Christen.JPG, Grave of Ada Christen

References

External links

Website of the Matzleinsdorf Evangelical Cemetery

Evangelischer Friedhof Matzleinsdorf auf den Seiten der Friedhöfe Wien GmbH

Evangelische Pfarrgemeinde Wien Christuskirche A.B.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evangelischer Friedhof Matzleinsdorf Cemeteries in Vienna Lutheran cemeteries in Austria Protestant Reformed cemeteries Buildings and structures in Favoriten 1858 establishments in the Austrian Empire Cemeteries established in the 1850s