Open Grave, Hanover

It bears the inscription "Dieses auf ewig gekaufte Begräbnis darf niemals geöffnet werden.

But over the years, a birch tree has sprouted in the plinth and, growing ever larger, lifted the heavy tombstone.

[4] As a result, the tomb became an attraction in the nineteenth century, one among a number of "Open graves" appearing in horror stories.

[4] The tomb is therefore an early example of a tourist attraction[5] and developed at a deeper level into one of the landmarks of the city of Hanover.

[7] At the beginning of 2010, a worker in the Grünkolonne (the parks and gardens agency of the city), without (advance) warning or even civic approval cut the tree down for "safety reasons", which naturally prompted much protests.

Early photograph of the Open Grave (c. 1880)
Photograph of the Open Grave (c. 1900)
The Open Grave in 2014