The southern cemetery is now located between the districts of Friesdorf and Dottendorf, which used to form the edge of the independent Bad Godesberg. It is bordered to the east by the Bonn-Koblenz railroad line and to the west by Servatiusstraße with the main entrance area.

The creation of this second largest cemetery in Bonn must be seen against the background of Bonn's cemetery development. As the successor cemetery to the Old Cemetery, the North Cemetery was an area assigned to the city center and the north of Bonn. These cemeteries were too far away for the south. The individual village cemeteries, such as Kessenich, Rüngsdorf and Poppelsdorf, were also insufficient. So the city decided to build a large cemetery in the south of Bonn. The areas that were considered for this were originally mainly used for agricultural purposes. This included the former Dottenhof estate. Other areas were used as clay quarries for brick production. However, many plots were acquired by expropriation, so that the process of acquiring the land took several years until 1902. Subsequently, the municipal garden inspector Günther presented a plan that was strictly geometrical: the almost rectangular ground plan shows a wide entrance axis in the middle that leads into a traffic circle. Wide main paths intersect with narrow side paths. The recessed lawn along the main axis, which was intended to convey an impression of expanse, is striking. All paths are laid out as avenues. The cemetery was opened in 1912 with an area of just under two hectares and was subsequently extended several times, namely in 1928, 1945, 1951/53, 1967 and 1969/70. For the first time, Mediterranean trees, such as cypresses and cedars, were planted in this cemetery instead of native trees such as beeches and firs, which still characterize the image of the cemetery today.

The hedges and pergola-like hornbeam arches are also very striking for this cemetery. Despite the formal severity of the path network, these botanical elements lend the area the character of a landscape park.