The Maleme war cemetery on Crete clearly shows how the culture of remembrance
culture of remembrance and commemoration in Germany has changed in recent decades
has changed in recent decades.
Cemetery description
The Maleme war cemetery is located 20 kilometers from the Greek port city of
Port city of Chania on the north coast of Crete. The small village of Maleme is
is only one kilometer away. The site is a place of mourning and remembrance. In addition
the Volksbund's new permanent exhibition makes an important contribution to this. The
Exhibition emphasizes the importance of presenting the perspectives of the various warring parties
and not to close its eyes to the crimes committed against the civilian population
civilian population. Cretan men and women who survived the war report just as impressively
their experiences just as impressively as German soldiers and members of the
Soldiers and members of the Commonwealth army. Biographical notes, letters and
And photos from estates complement the testimonies. They document
individual fates as examples.
The cemetery is laid out in such a way that the burial plots with the fallen represent the
the four main combat zones of the Second World War on the Mediterranean island
island. These are Chania, Maleme, Rethymnon and Iraklion. On the memorial square
the names of 360 soldiers immortalized on metal plaques who fell on the island but were
fallen on the island but could not be recovered.
Burial
The cemetery is home to 4,468 fallen soldiers from the Second World War. They were buried in
62 places on the Mediterranean island. From April to November 1960, the
Reburial service of the Volksbund with the permission of the Greek government
german dead from isolated field graves and provisional burial sites on Crete
Crete.
History
At the end of May 1941, German paratroopers and mountain troops had
had taken Crete. Until the end of the war four years later, the island was under
german occupation. High-ranking German military personnel who had fought on Crete
crete denied the atrocities for many years after the end of the Second
Atrocities committed against the civilian population by members of the Wehrmacht for many years after the end of the Second World War.
There were terrible acts of violence on all sides.
Until the ratification of a war graves agreement, coffins with German
The Gonai monastery. in 1971, the reburial at the Maleme cemetery finally began
Maleme cemetery. The cemetery was consecrated on October 6, 1974. Numerous former comrades
numerous former comrades of the fallen.
Special feature
In 1975, the 1st Airborne Division of the German Armed Forces took over the sponsorship of
the Maleme cemetery.
