Hermann Löns grave in Tietlingen Juniper Grove

In the district of Tietlingen in Bad Fallingbostel, nestled on a beautiful heathland with gnarled junipers, lies the grave of Hermann Löns.

You enter the quaint heathland, which is spread around Löns’ grave, through a stable gate. This is necessary because sometimes Heidschnucken sheep run free on the land.

The area is called Tietlinger juniper grove and the name is very apt. Large, gnarled junipers are spread over the heathland, framing the sandy paths. In terms of appearance, this is one of the most beautiful heathlands of Lüneburg Heath.

Several memorial stones are scattered in the heathland and lead some visitors astray.

The first memorial stone found after entering the hill is dedicated to the former landlord. Wilhelm Asche was a great supporter of the heath poet Herman Löns. The grave of Wilhelm Asche is located under this stone.

The second, large monument is dedicated to Hermann Löns, but is not his grave.

Löns’ grave is signposted and a simple boulder also says "Hermann Löns rests here". The Wolfsangel underneath is a symbol that Hermann Löns liked to put under his signature.

About Hermann Lons:

Hermann Löns was born in 1866 in Kulm/West Prussia and grew up in Westphalia. He studied medicine in Münster, Greifswald, and Göttingen. After a rift with his parents he became a journalist and worked at the "Hannoversche Anzeiger".

Witty articles under two pseudonyms quickly made him known. In 1893, Hermann Löns first came to Lüneburg Heath and fell in love with the region.

In his "beautiful country", as he called Lüneburg Heath, he found great inspiration for his poems. Hermann Löns joined the war in 1914 and after four weeks he fell at Reims in Champagne.

To this day, Hermann Löns is known as THE heath poet. His works written in Lüneburg Heath include landscape descriptions and animal stories.

In 1911 Hermann Löns campaigned for the founding of the first German Nature Park in Lüneburg Heath.

The very first monument to Hermann Löns was built in 1921 on Wietzer Berg near Müden in the Südheide.

The funeral of Hermann Löns

Hermann Löns is inextricably linked to Lüneburg Heath, so it is only logical that he also found his final resting place here. However, there were some problems achieving this.

Hermann Löns lost his life in the early morning hours of 26.09.1914 in an assault near Loivre in France. Due to the ongoing fighting, the corpse could not be buried immediately.

After a makeshift burial in a shell crater, in 1919 Hermann Löns was buried at a military cemetery in Luxembourg, and after its levelling years later in a mass grave at Loivre.

When ploughing former battlefields at Loivre, bones and a dog tag finally appeared and in 1934 Hermann Löns was identified. There was then a public discussion about whether the poet should be transferred to Germany and buried there.

The Sieben-Steinhäuser megalithinc tombs near Essel were considered as a place of burial. A funeral company received permission to transfer the bones. However, when the establishment of the military training area stopped these plans, the corpse of Hermann Löns was already on the way and initially had to be accommodated in a hotel garage.

While a suitable place for the final funeral seemed to have been found in Tietlinger juniper heath, which was also endorsed by the Löns family, doubts about the authenticity of the remains increased.

In order to put an end to the discussions and the unworthy accommodation of the poet, the Ost-Hannover regional administration intervened and arranged the funeral on 30 November 1934 under the strictest secrecy in the nature reserve at Barrl.

Neither the family nor the public were informed of these plans. The people of Fallingbostel felt this was a kidnapping.

Hermann Lön's wife Lisa finally turned on the Reich War Minister von Blomberg, who provided for a renewed examination and final funeral of Hermann Löns in Tietlingen on 02.08.1935, 21 years after his death.

Source: Wolfgang Brandes: Chronik Fallingbostel 1930-1995

Getting there:

Take the A7, exit Bad Fallingbostel, continue to Tietlingen. In Tietlingen, the car park at Löns grave is signposted. It is right next to the golf course. From there, walk a short distance to the heath area with Löns grave.

Navigation address: Tietlingen 6c, Walsrode