Edmund Husserl's Grave to Remain in Günterstal

The gravestone of the philosopher and mathematician Edmund Husserl will remain at its traditional site at the cemetery in the Freiburg neighborhood of Günterstal. Up to now the grave in Günterstal has been maintained by members of Husserl's family, but they have now informed the city that they are no longer able to perform this maintenance. The University of Freiburg was not aware of this turn of events. However, the Husserl Archive received word of it from an attentive cemetery visitor and took action immediately.

The City of Freiburg has now abandoned its plans to move Husserl's grave to the city's grove of honor at the main cemetery in favor of continuing to maintain the grave in Günterstal. In an arrangement between the City of Freiburg and the university, the former has agreed to pay the fee for its honorary citizen's grave from now on while the latter will pay the costs for maintaining the grave.

"I am very pleased that our swift reaction has made it possible to maintain the grave of this important philosopher. Husserl and phenomenology are among the University of Freiburg's core traditions," says Prof. Dr. Hans-Helmuth Gander, director of the Husserl Archive and dean of the Faculty of Humanities.

Many scholars and former students pay their respects to Husserl at his grave on their visits to Freiburg. 2018 will see the 80th anniversary of the philosopher's death. The university is already planning an event to mark this occasion.

Edmund Husserl was born in Proßnitz in Moravia on 8 April 1859 and died in Freiburg on 27 April 1938. He is regarded as the founder of phenomenology, with whose help he sought to establish philosophy as a rigorous science, and is among the most influential thinkers of the 20th century.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Hans-Helmuth Gander
Husserl Archive
University of Freiburg
Phone: +49 (0)761/203-2428
E-Mail: hans-helmuth.gander@philosophie.uni-freiburg.de