Situated on the former Galgenberg, between Lake Ostorfer and Lake Grimkesee, lies the approximately 28-hectare Old Cemetery. The cemetery and park complex boasts beautiful pathways, lush tree and shrubbery planting, and also attracts those with historical interests to its elevated location.

The site was selected in 1862 by the then Schwerin court architect Georg Adolf Demmler and inaugurated with the first burial a year later. Thus, the Old Cemetery is considered a very early example of a park cemetery. The layout of the grounds was overseen by the grand ducal garden director Theodor Klett. His ideas were influential and still imbue the resting place with its distinctive character today. Klett sought inspiration for the design by visiting park-like cemetery grounds in France.

Several interesting buildings can be found in the Old Cemetery. The most modern among them is the mortuary, where remnants of the old crematorium can still be discovered. The design for it was proposed by city architect Andreas Hamann in 1929. Just a year later, the crematorium with mourning hall and mortuary chamber was inaugurated. The straightforward brick building was constructed in the Bauhaus style and features long narrow glass windows in shades of violet, blue, and yellow, adding visual accents.

Among the older and ecclesiastical buildings are the cemetery chapel from 1864 and the burial chapels. Between 1863 and 1915, 19 such burial chapels were built, including that of the court architect Georg Adolf Demmler. Today, the architect and his wife are buried there. Located east of the first cemetery entrance is the former gatekeeper's and guardhouse. In 1866, it was converted into the gravedigger's house. Currently, a flower shop and café are housed in the half-timbered building.

In the south of the Old Cemetery, the Memorial Cemetery overlooking Lake Grimkesee was established in 1917. Over the years, it underwent several redesigns. The initial monument featured a square memorial stone with a crowning bowl, as well as reliefs of a warrior and a mourner, along with some inscriptions. By 1924, just four years after its construction, the monument was in poor condition. Several redesigns followed from 1935 onwards, and now a soldier sculpture by Wilhelm Wandschneider stands there. Today, the area of the Memorial Cemetery is designated as the burial ground for the First and Second World Wars.

The Demmler Chapel and other individual burial sites were already placed under monument protection in 1980. The Institute for Heritage Preservation advocated for the entire Old Cemetery to be protected, and since 1994, it has been designated as a garden and landscape monument. Many well-known personalities have found their final resting place here, including the composer Claus Clauberg, the writer Hans Franck, and the president of the state parliament, Otto Metterhausen.