Der Herrnhuter Gottesacker Hanerau

Ein Kuriosum in der schleswig-holsteinischen Friedhofslandschaft

Abstract

On the North German estate of Hanerau (80 km north-west of Hamburg) there is a burial ground that was laid out on Moravian principles in 1805. This article examines the history of its establishment and describes how it has been used up to the present time. The story centres on the Dutch Mennonite van der Smissen merchant family. In the 18th century this family had not only established an important trading company but also, in turning to Pietism, came into contact with the Moravian Church. The Württemberg pastor Johann Wilhelm Mannhardt, who was employed by the van der Smissen family as a private tutor, married into the family and was able with their support to purchase the Hanerau estate. Although he was forbidden to establish a Moravian settlement there, as he had planned, on his own initiative he saw to it that commercial jobs were created, and he also laid out a burial ground modelled on that of Christiansfeld. The article concludes with a description of the burial ground and a short analysis of how it was used over the ensuing 200 years.