Hunger stones at Westerhüsen
The hunger stones near Westerhüsen are a rock formation at the bottom of the Elbe in front of the Magdeburg district of Westerhüsen .
The hunger stones are only above the water level when the water in the Elbe is extremely low. They run parallel along the left bank of the Elbe. Depending on the water level, the part above the water level can reach a length of about 100 meters and a width of about 10 meters. A larger boulder is located centrally within the hunger stones, which are an island in the Elbe when the water is low .
The name Hungersteine , which is also used elsewhere for such stones, refers to the severe drought that usually accompanies the phenomenon , which can also lead to major crop failures.
The emergence of the hunger stones at Westerhüsen is documented for at least 1904. In the area around the hunger stones, the depth of the Elbe is said to have been only 10 cm. More recently, the hunger stones have emerged clearly in August 2015, July 2018 and 2019.
For shipping, problematic stones at Westerhüsen were mentioned several times, which were possibly related to the hunger stones. In October 1852, for example, a ship drove onto a stone near Westerhüsen. The boat leaked and all goods got into the water.
literature
- Robert Richter, Hungerstones announce distress in Magdeburg's Volksstimme from August 22, 2015, page 24.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Caption of a postcard produced for the event from 1904
- ↑ Handels-Archiv: Wochenschrift für Handel, Gewerbe and Verkehrsanstalten , 1853, page 284 f.
Coordinates: 52 ° 3 '24.9 " N , 11 ° 41' 10.2" E