Gothic cross from Elsterwerda

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Gothic cross

The Gotenkreuz of Elsterwerda is since about 1950 south of the city on the federal road 101 / 169 towards Prösen to a small garden colony in a woody area.

This atonement cross is made of gray sandstone and has a size of 57 × 62 × 35 cm. The oval hole, which is of natural origin and was probably created by a glacier mill, has the dimensions 22 × 26 cm. The cross was probably erected at this location as an atonement for murder or manslaughter.

There was a note about the stone, also known as the French grave in Elsterwerda , for the first time in 1913 in the local history series “Schwarze Elster”. In 1916, K. Jost described it in the Liebenwerda home calendar as having fallen over and deteriorating . Two years later, at the instigation of the manor owner there, it was set up in the castle park in Linz near Ortrand , but was later returned to its original location by the Elsterwerda Rector Müller, who died in 1965, and was redesigned into a small jewelry space.

legend

A legend, which in its core is likely to come very close to the truth, tells of the murder of a traveler by a Prösener postilion :

“He is said to have killed his single passenger traveling alone in the Frauenhainer Pfeifholz because of his well-filled wallet and later buried it under tall oak trees at the location of the cross. For many years he was able to hide this murder. However, from then on it is said to have haunted this place and a ghost appeared several times to the people passing by. When the murderer himself passed there later, the ghost terrified him so much that he soon fell ill and died. He is said to have confessed his terrible act on his deathbed. Only when the relatives of the perpetrator had an atonement cross placed on the victim's grave did the spirit calm down and he did not appear again. "

literature

  • Dietrich Neuber : Stone crosses and cross stones: Inventory of the Cottbus district , Cottbus, 1982

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Georg A. Kuhlins: "The stone crosses of the Bad Liebenwerda district" in "The Black Elster - Our home in words and pictures" . No. 579 . Bad Liebenwerda 1980, p. 4-9 .
  2. ↑ The Gotenkreuz von Elsterwerda at www.suehnekreuz.de
  3. ↑ Heimatjahrbuch 1969/70-Kreis Bad Liebenwerda-45 Year of the former Heimatkalender ., Publisher: Museum des Kreis Bad Liebenwerda in connection with the German Cultural Association, print: VEB Druckerei "Aktivist" Bad Liebenwerda, 1970, page 94
  4. ↑ Georg A. Kuhlins: "Stone cross legends from the district area" in "The Black Elster - Our home in words and pictures" . No. 579 . Bad Liebenwerda 1980, p. 1-3 .

Coordinates: 51 ° 27 '  N , 13 ° 31'  E

Web links

Commons : Sühnekreuz Elsterwerda  - Collection of images, videos and audio files