The cemetery was established in 1891–92 for the Grunewald villa colony in Berlin and is located in Berlin-Halensee on Bornstedter Straße. Due to its secluded location between railroad tracks, it earned the nickname “Island of the Dead,” as access was originally only possible via a bridge. The approximately 1.2-hectare site was selected in 1891 and opened on May 19, 1892. The main path leads through an avenue of pyramid oaks directly to the cemetery chapel. This was built in 1897 in the Neo-Gothic style and expanded with a vestibule in 1902–03.
The cemetery’s original path layout has been preserved to this day. The cemetery is a listed garden monument. Due to its proximity to the exclusive Grunewald villa colony, numerous prominent scientists, entrepreneurs, and artists were buried there.
