Cemetery "Am Stäfflingshof"

Where to put the dead?

Everything must be subordinate to industry. Friedrich Grillo found a free space for the construction of St. Joseph's Church. But there was only enough space for the church itself. There is no room for a churchyard between the residential buildings, railroad tracks and industrial plants. The cemetery of the municipality has to go somewhere else.

Friedrich Grillo supports his Catholic workers as much as he can. He builds St. Joseph's Church as the center of their religious life. He provides money, materials, workers and know-how. And last but not least: land. Free land is a rare commodity. It's not just the Consolidation Colliery that has a lot of it up its sleeve. It could always be that new facilities are brought in. Or space is needed for housing estates such as the Workers Settlement Rosenhügel. Therefore, there is no room for a spacious churchyard where the community can bury its dead. Space was only found 750 meters away. There is still a free area near shafts 2 and 7 of the Consolidation colliery. Grillo had already bought the land for the winding plant from a farmer in the 1850s. He had the Stäfflingshof demolished after the purchase. When the parish of St. Joseph began using the cemetery in 1893, it was named "Friedhof Am Stäfflingshof".

Some famous Schalke players have also been buried here over the decades. Ferdinand Zajons, for example. The left-back laced up his soccer boots for the Knappen from 1928 to 1935. He was on the pitch when the team won its first league title against 1. FC Nürnberg. His gravestone can still be found in the cemetery today. One of the founding fathers of FC Schalke 04 was also buried here. However, the grave has already been levelled: Willy Gies was one of the boys who founded the Westfalia Schalke club not far from House Goor in 1904 (the story "Schalker Farbenspiel" ["Schalker play of colors"] tells which colors were chosen). He not only played for the club, but was also club president until 1909. After the First World War, he had to give up playing soccer due to a war injury. He died in 1931 at the age of just 41. Today, a memorial stone on the Schalke fan field commemorates the founding members of Westfalia Schalke.

GRAVESITES OF FAMOUS SCHALKERS

Fritz "Papa" UnkelWilly GiesFerdinand Zajons
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