Cat stones

Cat stones

The Katzensteine are a rock formation in the Veybach valley between Mechernich and Satzvey , which has been under nature protection since 1937 . The Katzensteine ​​are a massif of red sandstone and are located directly on the L 61 between Satzvey and Mechernich, near the village of Katzvey .

The rock formation lies within the Katzensteine nature reserve , which also includes an old quarry to the northeast and surrounding forest areas.

geology

The Katzensteine ​​are part of a red sandstone area that extends over Mechernich and Kall to Nideggen. They are up to 15 meters high, have steep walls to the south, east and west and belong to the middle red sandstones.

Leaching of the red sandstone and washing away of the leached material shaped the cat stones to their present appearance. On the sandstone you can clearly see the stratification that was created when the sand was deposited. The red color of the sandstone comes from the fact that every grain of sand is surrounded by red iron.

archeology

H. Löhr carried out excavations below the Katzensteine ​​in 1970 and 1971. Artifacts from the Stone Age prove that hunters and gatherers stayed here who, among other things, a. Red deer, elk and roe deer hunted.

A small Roman quarry was also discovered during the excavation, which had been in operation since the 1st half of the 1st century AD, perhaps for the needs of a nearby Roman Villa Rustica . Remains of a small temple from the 1st century AD, which was dedicated to the goddess Diana and for which holy stones were made from the red sandstone of the cat stones, were found 400 m away from the cat stones.

and display information about the image

panorama

literature

• Heinz Günter Horn : Mechernich-Katzfey: Roman quarry . In: Heinz Günter Horn (Ed.): The Romans in North Rhine-Westphalia . Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-8062-0312-1 , p. 549 f.
• Hans-Eckart Joachim , Wighart v. Koenigswald , Wilhelm Meyer : Kartstein and Katzensteine ​​near Mechernich in the Eifel (= Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege und Landschaftsschutz [Hrsg.]: Rheinische Kunststätten, No. 435). 1st edition 1998. Druck und Kommissions-Verlag: Neusser Druckerei und Verlag GmbH, Neuss, ISBN 3-88094-839-9 , p. 25 ff.
• H. Löhr: A Roman quarry in the Katzensteinen near Satzfey-Firmenich. In: Northeastern Eifel foreland - Euskirchen, Zülpich, Bad Münstereifel, Blankenheim. Part II: Excursions (= Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz et al. [Hrsg.]: Guide to prehistoric and early historical monuments. Volume 26). Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz am Rhein 1974, p. 134 ff.
• H. Löhr: End Paleolithic finds from the Abri Katzensteine. In: Northeastern Eifel foreland - Euskirchen, Zülpich, Bad Münstereifel, Blankenheim. Part II: Excursions (= Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz et al. [Hrsg.]: Guide to prehistoric and early historical monuments. Volume 26). Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz am Rhein 1974, p. 131 ff.

Individual evidence

1. ^ "Katzensteine" nature reserve in the specialist information system of the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia

Web links

Commons : Katzensteine ​​(Mechernich)  - Collection of images

Coordinates: 50 ° 36 '11.1 "  N , 6 ° 41' 14.3"  E