Burial gifts and flowers for the grave
The cemetery is a place of farewell and remembrance - and therefore a public space for deeply personal feelings. Very individual gestures help the bereaved to cope with the loss of a loved one. Some give an object to take with them on their last journey, others devote themselves to planting the grave.
"Relatives like to bring the deceased things that they liked when they were alive," reports Gabriele Schreiber, head of the municipal cemeteries. This could be a can of Coke for a friend, a set of dice for a grandma who loves to play or a fine, thick cigar for a colleague. Schreiber was particularly touched by the little boy who provided his deceased mother with sweets and warm slippers.
From crosses and cuddly socks to a Sudoku booklet with a pen and reading glasses - Hessian cemeteries have already collected a lot of loving grave gifts. According to Christian tradition, earth and flowers are placed on the coffin (or in an urn grave). The earth stands for transience and flowers for the past or eternal life. Such rituals can perhaps make it a little easier to say goodbye.
Flowers and plants play an important role
Flowers and plants play an important role in the subsequent design of the gravesite. Which species did the deceased particularly like? And which plants tolerate the current climate best? "Plants for bees and those that can cope well with drought are in vogue, especially in view of the recent hot summer," reports Sabrina Eggert from the Hesse-Thuringia Trust Office for Permanent Grave Care. These include succulents such as houseleek or stonecrop and robust, insect-friendly perennials. Begonias, which bloom in a variety of colors, are also popular and easy to care for.
Suitable seasonal summer planting options include marigolds and marigolds as symbols of protection and comfort, carnations - which are considered a sign of pure, true love - or ornamental tobacco. The color of the planting is also of symbolic importance to cemetery gardeners: from innocent white to cheerful yellow and delicate pink to dynamic red. The individual design of a gravesite can also tell a lot about the deceased person.
A brochure on plants and their symbolism is available from the Treuhandstelle für Dauergrabpflege Hessen-Thüringen on freephone 0800 / 15 16 17 0.
Cemetery administration
Friedhofsverwaltung
Mühlheimer Straße 425
63075 Offenbach
Notes on accessibility
Disabled parking spaces available
Notes on accessibility
Further information
Visitor parking lot in Ulmenstraße
Opening hours
The cemeteries are open as follows:
November through February:
Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 8.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.
March and October:
Monday-Friday: 7.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 8.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m.
April to September:
Monday-Friday: 7.00 a.m. - 8.00 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 7.00 a.m. - 8.00 p.m.