Colorful cow (rocks)
A prominent rock ledge in the Ahr valley near Walporzheim in Rhineland-Palatinate is known as the colorful cow . It is considered a landmark of the Ahr valley and is protected as a natural monument.
description
The formation stands at the last rocky, narrow point in the direction of the river in the Ahr valley, directly above the Walporzheim location. There the B 267 , on which the Ahr-Rotweinstrasse runs in this area , curves around an almost vertical rock face. From this slate rock protrudes about 15 meters above the road a few meters long, vertically aligned rock slab, the irregular shape of which is reminiscent of an elongated, obliquely upwardly protruding animal head like a domestic cattle making a sound .
Emergence
Although the Bunte Kuh is officially a natural monument, it was created through human activity when, in the 19th century, space was created in the narrow places of the Ahr valley for the construction of a road. When this rock was blown up, the protrusion remained.
Surname
Before the formation of the ledge, “Colorful Cow” was already the name of the rock. The origin of this name is unclear. A legend is passed on of wild but godly robber barons who heard a bell at this point during a raid and kneeled down in anticipation of a divine apparition. When only a variegated cow showed up, they got angry and killed the animal. Another explanation says that French soldiers passing through praised the tasty Ahr wine with “C'est bon de gout”, which was understood by the Walporzheim winegrowers as a “colorful cow”.
safety
Since the rock on which the colorful cow is still “working”, it is regularly monitored for cracks. In 2002 there was a rock slide of several tons of rock. The “cow” itself and the surrounding rock are already secured with steel anchors. When, in 2003, a small boulder below the Bunte Kuh, which had loosened, was supposed to be brought down in a controlled manner, unexpected difficulties were encountered because, despite the centimeter-wide cracks, it was still much tighter than expected. Apparently the rock slabs are firmly wedged together at this point.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Elke Schröder: How a colorful cow came to the Ahr valley. In: Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung , July 30, 2017, accessed on August 14, 2019.
- ↑ The legend of the colorful cow's rock. In: general-anzeiger-bonn.de , accessed on August 14, 2019.
- ↑ Christine Schulze: Steel anchors and concrete protect the "foot of the colorful cow" In: General-Anzeiger , March 26, 2003, accessed on August 14, 2019.
- ↑ Christine Schulze: The colorful cow sticks to its masses tenaciously. In: General-Anzeiger , March 31, 2003, accessed on August 14, 2019.
Coordinates: 50 ° 31 '49 " N , 7 ° 4' 10.7" E