Hajener Hungerstein
The Hajener Hungerstein is a boulder in the Upper Weser , which marks strong low water as a hunger stone. It is located near Hajen , a district of the municipality of Emmerthal south of Hameln in Lower Saxony . The stone is a symbol of the village and has been a natural monument since 1998 .
description
The stone has the dimensions of 1.5 × 1.8 meters with a height of 0.8 meters and weighs several tons . It is located on the western bank of the Weser at river kilometer 119.7 across from Hajen. This is a place at the height of the Ruhberg above the former ferry landing stage Hajen-Ruhberg. It is located at the foot of a groyne and is visible at a level below 1.18 meters. The stone is a stone block made of red sandstone that has been cut from the sediment of the Weser . It bears the inscription Hungerstein and has several engraved dates for the years in which it was visible, such as 1947, 1959, 1975, 1984 and 1991. The authors sometimes added their initials or names to the dates. The hunger stone was also visible during the drought and heat in Europe in 2018 . A few meters downstream on the banks of the Weser there is another larger stone, which is also visible at low tide.
- Year inscriptions
1947
1959
1975
1984
1991
In 1997, some citizens applied to the Lower Nature Conservation Authority for the protection of hunger stones because of its local significance. In 1998 the Hameln-Pyrmont district declared the stone a natural monument.
There are different assessments of the length of time the stone has been in place in the Weser. According to the mayor of Hajen, who was in office in the 1990s, the stone had been lying there for centuries because of its weight. A local historian from Hajen claimed at the time that the piece had already been mentioned in old documents and chronicles. Recent research by archivists , local researchers and local politicians did not find any evidence of this in historical documents.
meaning
The Hajener Hungerstein was a drought indicator in earlier times. The name Hungerstein, which is also used elsewhere for such stones, refers to the drought that is usually associated with becoming visible . According to a local homeland researcher , the village's wells have the same water level as the water level of the Weser. Until the advent of water supply through water pipes , the visibility of the stone for the village population meant saving water.
Disappear
In August 1996, Hajen residents found that the hunger stone had disappeared. Previously, the Hameln branch of the Waterways and Shipping Office Hann. Münden dredging work was carried out in this area of the Weser. According to the office, the stone was not touched. Later, while swimming in the Weser, a resident of Hajen came across a boulder and called divers from the fire department. A few days later, the stone that had been identified as the missing starvation stone was recovered by a dredger and placed in its original location with the help of surveyors from the land registry . More than 500 onlookers attended the rescue in a festival-like atmosphere.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c The search for the Hajener Hungerstein in Dewezet from August 15, 1996
- ↑ Hameln-Pyrmont district - lower nature conservation authority - directory in accordance with Section 14 (9) NAGBNatSchG - natural monuments 08/10/2015 (PDF, 23 kB)
- ↑ a b Annex 2) Regarding the ordinance on the protection of natural monuments in the Hameln - Pyrmont district of June 7, 2005. ND-HM 155 "Hajener Hungerstein", p. 57 (pdf, 7.8 mb)
- ↑ Photo at mapio.net ( memento of the original from August 19, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ See photo: Fire department divers are looking for the hunger stone in Dewezet on August 9, 1996
- ↑ a b c Ulrich Behmann: A rock as an emergency indicator for Hajen in Dewezet from December 9, 2011
- ↑ Jens Meyer: Was the hunger stone swallowed by the ground? in Dewezet on August 7, 1996
- ↑ Divers encounter starvation! Folk festival atmosphere on the banks of the Weser in Dewezet on August 14, 1996
- ↑ Jens Meyer: Rescue of the Hungerstein celebrated until midnight in Dewezet on August 15, 1996
Coordinates: 51 ° 59 ′ 51.8 " N , 9 ° 25 ′ 56" E