Remains of the 'Friedhofsbahn' in Düppeler Forst

When at the beginning of the 20th century no open spaces were available within Berlin, the cemeteries were relocated to the edge of the city. So that cemetery visitors could easily travel to the cemetery Stahnsdorf, this railway line was opened. Today you can only look at the remains.

The railway line Berlin-Wannsee-Stahnsdorf, also Friedhofsbahn, was a side rail electrified branch line in Berlin and Brandenburg, which served the Berlin S-Bahn traffic. It led from Wannsee to the station Stahnsdorf and served above all for the connection of the there southwest cemetery.

The purpose of the so-called Friedhofsbahn was to provide transport links to the large cemeteries laid out outside the city around 1905. In 1913 the first steam train ran from Wannsee via Dreilinden to Stahnsdorf. For many "passengers" it was actually the last trip: the corpses were transported by train from the Halensee freight station, which had a "corpse clearance hall". In 1928, the conductor rail went into operation and an S-Bahn commuted along the single-track line every 20 minutes.
After 1952, West Berliners were only allowed to enter the GDR with a special permit. So the passengers stayed away. With the construction of the Wall in 1961, traffic was stopped.