General Cemetery of Laren

When the painter Tony Offermans died on August 23, 1911, and had to be buried, Laren had a problem. Tony Offermans was not Catholic and could therefore not be buried in consecrated ground at the St. Janskerkhof. So a cemetery had to be established for "those who think differently." Behind the St. Janskerkhof was the area of the Zuiderheide. There, a municipal worker had to dig the first grave in which Tony Offermans was buried. Later, the entire area around this grave was developed and is now a beautiful cemetery where many famous and well-known people are buried. One of them is Willem van der Kulk, who wrote many books under the name Willem van lependaal. We also find here the family grave of the founders of the road construction company Hogenbirk, the brothers Barend and Gerrit Hogenbirk. And then there are the graves of many artists who worked and lived in Laren, such as Wally Moes, Co Breman, David Schulman, and Margot Hudig. On a weekday, you can ask the caretaker, if he is present, for a small walking route that leads you over the cemetery past various graves of famous people. An urn wall has also been built and furnished at this cemetery.

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