Grünewald

Grünewald is a German surname and toponym meaning “green forest” (grün = green, Wald = forest). The umlaut form Grünewald is often written as Grunewald in English texts and on signs. The name appears in both personal names and geographic labels in German-speaking regions.

The most famous bearer of the name is Matthias Grünewald (c. 1470–1528), a German Renaissance painter celebrated for religious works. His best-known piece is the Isenheim Altarpiece, created for the Monastery of St. Anthony in Isenheim, Alsace. The altarpiece, completed in the early 16th century, is now housed in the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar and is regarded as a major work of Northern Renaissance art.

Geographically, Grunewald refers to a large forested area in the western outskirts of Berlin, Germany. The Grunewald provides substantial recreational space, nature trails, and lakes, and contains several notable sights within its bounds, including historical structures such as the Grunewald Palace (Schloss Grunewald).

The term Grünewald also appears in various other German-language contexts as both a surname and a place name, reflecting common naming practices that link people and places to landscapes. In Anglophone contexts, the form Grunewald is frequently used.