Frequently Asked Questions

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 The grounds are open every day of the year from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

The cemetery office is open Wednesday from Noon until 3 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. until Noon, or by previously arranged appointment.

Anyone – regardless of race, religion, gender or economic status. However, Wunder’s does not accept animal burials. 

Wunder’s has over 14-1/2 acres of landscaped grounds, including mature trees as well as seasonal flowers and plantings. 

Founded in 1859, Wunder’s Cemetery was originally known as First German Lutheran Cemetery. The earliest date recorded for a burial is May 1864. In 1912, it was incorporated as the German Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery Association. Then, on October 19, 1919 it was renamed Wunder’s Cemetery Association 

Over 15,000 people, with burials at the rate of approximately 24 per year. 

The Wunder’s Cemetery Association is the governing body of the cemetery. This Board is drawn from the Voting Membership of First Saint Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1301 N. LaSalle Dr., in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood. The Board is the sole trustee of the cemetery, and is a private, not-for-profit association, a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax deductible as the law provides. 

The cemetery is named after Rev. Heinrich Wunder, renowned pastor of First Saint Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. Pastor Wunder served the congregation and the community for 62 years, from 1851 to 1913. He was responsible for overseeing the resettlement of a great many German and other immigrants to Chicago during those years.