Friedrich Schiller was buried in the vault at Jakobskirchhof on the night of May 11-12, 1805. In 1827, his supposed body was transferred to the royal crypt. However, scientific investigations revealed that the remains were those of other people. The coffin in the royal crypt is empty today.

Today's building is a reconstruction from 1927 that approximates the historical model and rises above the old foundation walls. Inside the casket vault are stone plaques with the names of the buried, including Louise von Göchhausen, Duchess Anna Amalia's lady-in-waiting. A memorial plaque commemorates Schiller's burial here in May 1805.