Until the middle of the 19th century the city of Munich had only a single public burial ground, the present Alter Südfriedhof.

The cemetery itself, rectangular in shape, with the chapel and various service buildings annexed, was originally divided into 16 fields of equal size.

In its geometrical ground-plan and to some extent the arcades along the wall it resembled the idea of the Campo Santo, at the time a popular style of burial ground in Germany.

With the rise to power of the National Socialists in 1933 the entire existence of the cemetery was thrown into doubt: the new regime, in the context of the re-building of Munich as the capital of the movement, wanted to connect Isabellastraße with Luisenstraße in order to construct a spectacular boulevard, which was obstructed by the Alter Nördlicher Friedhof.

The Alter Nördlicher Friedhof, with its light planting of trees, today represents a significant green space in the Maxvorstadt district and is used as a small park, with due respect for those long since buried here.