Sanssouci - Potsdam, Germany - Pet Cemeteries on Waymarking.com

This is not a public pet cemetery but the burial place of the favorite dogs of one of Germany's most famous kings.

Frederick the Great, the philosopher amongst kings loved his dogs more than anything or anybody else - including his family. Throughout his life, he had about 60 dogs and some of them were so close to him that he ordered to have them buried at the same place he picked for his own tomb. Actually, this little place at the terraces of Sanssouci Castle was Frederick's dog cemetery long before he himself was buried there. In 1744, one year before the works on the castle started, Frederick designated the top of the Sanssouci vineyard to be the royal dog tomb.

Eleven of Frederick's beloved dogs are buried here, most of the 200 year old headstones are so weathered that we couldn't make out the individual names but some of the stories of the royal dog-fancier and his royal greyhounds are still being told.

Non of his dogs did he love more than Biche. She even accompanied her master on recognizance missions during the War of the Austrian Succession in 1745. When se died in 1752, the King wrote in a letter to his sister, "I'm devastated over the loss of Biche. Should I be hard and without feelings? I believe a man who doesn't care about animals doesn't care about his fellow men either. So, I prefer to be sensitive and sad."

Another one of his favorites was Thisbe. When she died in 1783, Frederick wrote, "One might be surprised how an old man like me could loose his heart to a little dog. Thisbe was my companion for fourteen years. Whenever I couldn't sleep at night, she laid next to me and watched me - like a caring person. I'll never forget her eyes!"

Frederick's last companion was a greyhound named Superbe, and his last words were about her. In the night of August 17, 1786, the old and weak king sat in his armchair and noticed that his dog was shivering. He ordered that she'd be covered with a pillow and be kept warm - and then he closed his eyes and died peacefully.

Of all his dogs, the most famous one throughout the centuries was Alcmene. we don't know if she is so famous because her name remained readable on her headstone, or if her headstone received special care. In any case, since we were able to make out here individual burial place, we honored her with an individual waymark.