Häerdcheslee
The Häerdcheslee , also Härdcheslay or Härtcheslay, is a solitary rock north of Altlinster in the municipality of Junglinster in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg . On the rock, two people are depicted in a half-relief that is now weathered . The Häerdcheslee is a Gallo-Roman grave monument, probably from the first or second century AD. The place was first mentioned as Härtgeslay in 960.
From a geological point of view, the rock consists of light yellowish Luxembourg sandstone. The name Ley, Lae or Lay means rock. The word component Haard, Häerd or Häerdchen generally stands for a forest in Franconian. The half-relief shows two larger-than-life, standing people in a niche. The two figures were always referred to in the population as "de Mann an d'Fra op der Lae" (the man and the woman on the rock). The left of the two figures measures 2.10 meters, the right 2.0 meters. Both people wear long coats that reach below their knees. The head of the figure on the left is still preserved. It seems like a hood is pulled over the head. In her right hand she holds a rod-shaped attribute that extends over her right shoulder to the edge of the picture. The slightly smaller person on the right has no head, and attributes can no longer be recognized.
The various attempts to explain this picture, which is unique in Luxembourg, ranged from the representation of a Celtic engagement scene, to the representation of a Celtic goddess with her priest, to the representation of guardian spirits (lares) from a neighboring spring. In fact, however, it is the depiction of the deceased on a grave monument. However, it remains unclear whether the portrayed are a woman and a man or two men. Above the relief on the head of the "Häerdcheslee" there is a square pit carved into the rock, which presumably served to hold the urns of the Gallo-Roman burial and is known as the Härdches shrine . Another depression on the side bears the name Härtcheswiege (Härdcheswei) , according to its shape .
Victor Hugo , who stayed in Luxembourg frequently in the 1860s , took inspiration from Häerdcheslee and processed his memories in his 1862 novel L'Homme qui rit .
In the forest "Härdchen" there are further, isolated rocks. One of these rocks, which overhangs prominently, is called Freylay , another is called Härtcheskirch (Häerdcheskiirch). Grooves on some of these rocks show that the site was used in prehistoric times.
literature
- J. Engling: L'homme et la femme sur la roche. Publications de la Société pour la Recherche et la Conservation des Monuments Historiques dans le Grand-Duché de Luxembourg (PSH), Vol. 2, Luxembourg 1846, pp. 95-103. (books.google.de ; French)
- Matthias Paulke: Archaeological tour through Luxembourg. Luxembourg 2019, ISBN 978-2-87985-535-6 , pp. 22-23.
- Armand Schleich: Härtcheslay. (PDF; 362 kB). Culture commission of the community of Junglinster, 2009.
- Armand Schleich and others: Godbrange - Altlinster cultural hiking trail . (PDF; 3.9 MB). Culture Commission of the Junglinster community, 49 pp. (Härdcheslay, pp. 16-19).
- The rock relief on the Härtcheslä near Altlinster. In: E. Schneider: Material on an archaeological rock study of the Luxembourg country. Luxembourg, pp. 302-306.
- W. Boppert: Grave monuments as evidence of the Romanization process in eastern Treverland: Autochthonous traditions and Italic-Hellenistic influences in sepulchral art. In: La sculpture d'époque romaine dans le nord, dans l'est des Gaules et dans les régions avoisinantes: Acquis et Genealogie actuelles. Paris 2000, pp. 95-107, here 103.
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 43 ′ 40.8 ″ N , 6 ° 13 ′ 1.2 ″ E