Hauptfriedhof Buer

Where Schalke legends sleep

When the first body was buried in the Buer cemetery in 1899, the Emscher was still an important dividing line between the industrial villages of the north and south. Only later did they begin to grow together. However, FC Schalke 04 would later become one of the most important bridges connecting people on both sides of the canal. It is therefore not surprising that the graves of important Schalke players can also be found in the main cemetery in Bueran.

"I am the mascot of Schalke!" Karl-Heinz "Charly" Neumann once used this sentence to explain his role at the club to a foreign reporter. And indeed, although he never played for the Knappen at the Glückauf Stadium and never led them to success as a coach or manager, Charly Neumann was one of the most popular Schalke players of all time. He took over as team manager in 1976 and developed into the good soul of the club. He always had an open ear for the fans. Charly was always there, in good times and bad. He stood for the emotional Schalke. He once said that he cried ten bathtubs full of tears because of Schalke. And most of them were real. Because Charly was a rascal and cultivated his image conscientiously. Especially when a camera was pointed at him. Once, when Charly was in hospital, a fan club wrote to him saying that a team photo without Charly would be like a wedding photo without a bride. The last team photo, which also features "the mascot", was taken in 2008.

Paul Matzkowski was two years old when his family moved from Masuria to the Ruhr region in 1922 for a life in mining. He learnt to play football at VfB Lohberg. At the end of the 1930s, he moved to the Ruhr region to play for Westfalia Herne. Everything pointed to a successful career. In 1939/40, Matzkowski was top scorer in all German Gauligen leagues. But his career was abruptly interrupted by military service. He returned in 1948 and joined the Knappen. After the war, he helped the returnee Hermann Eppenhoff to build up the new Knappen team. Even before Bernie Klodt's team beat Hamburger SV in the 1958 German Championship final, Matzkowski hung up his football boots. His companion Eppenhoff died in 1992 and is buried in the Ostfriedhof cemetery. Paul Matzkowski followed twelve years later. However, he is laid to rest here in Buer. Not far from him lies another important player from the transition phase after the war: Herbert Burdenski.

GRAVESITES OF FAMOUS SCHALKERS IN THE OLD TOWN CEMETERY

Charly NeumannHerbert BurdenskiPaul Matzkowski
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