Passant souviens-toi

The state orphanage had been located in the old barracks on Plateau du Rham since 1884 when the central hospice was established there in 1892. The prison was located in the Grund. In 1930, the Rham hospice was home to 649 people and there were 306 inmates in the prison. The City of Luxembourg was in charge of burying convicted persons, as well as those who died in the hospice or whose bodies were found in public places. Fetschenhof was therefore opened as a resting place for all these poor souls who did not have a reserved cemetery plot – regardless of where they came from. Between 1900 and 1915, 120–130 people were buried each year at Fetschenhof cemetery, with 58%–66% of these burials being made on behalf of Centre du Rham alone. During this time, some 38%–43% of all of the city's burials took place at this necropolis. The City of Luxembourg provided almost half of the coffins used for these burials, with the other half being paid for by the families of the deceased.

The 1804 decree on cemetery plots (décret sur les sépultures) stated that people must be buried individually, effectively abolishing mass graves. The graves made available by the city were very simple: holes were dug in the ground and refilled after the deceased had been placed inside. Vaults and monuments were only commissioned by more affluent people.