Christian Cross at Leitenberg

In the middle of the Leitenberg cemetery is a Christian cross, made of wood, which was designed by Klaus Backmund from Munich. On all four sides of the cross are panels which are engraved with likenesses of Christian martyrs. Leitenberg was consecrated as a Christian cemetery on December 16, 1949. Most of the prisoners in the Dachau concentration camp in the later years were Catholic.

The Leitenberg cemetery has been beautifully landscaped in a design by Christian Bauer. Low shrubbery is planted in rows across an open space to mark the mass graves. On both sides of the clearing, there are trees and rhododendron bushes, evocative of an English garden. The photograph below shows another view of the clearing with rhododendrons in bloom on the right hand side. The cemetery looks like it is well maintained, but has an overgrown look that seems to be deliberate. In the background of the first photograph, where the trees converge, is the spot where the Christian Cross stands in the center of the cemetery, hidden by the trees in this photograph.

Italian Memorial Chapel

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