Menhir from Kaltenwestheim
| Menhir from Kaltenwestheim Women whetstone | |||
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| Coordinates | 50 ° 36 '37.7 " N , 10 ° 6' 55.3" E | ||
| place | Kaltenwestheim , Thuringia , Germany | ||
The menhir of Kaltenwestheim , also called Weiber-Wetzstein , was a presumably prehistoric menhir near Kaltenwestheim in the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen in Thuringia . It was destroyed in 1945.
location
The menhir was on the outskirts of Kaltenwestheim at the Döllschen house. The replica is now in the town, in front of the Zum Wetzstein inn, Am Schlagtor 4. The numerous pieces of rubble from the destroyed original stone were carelessly built in when the houses that were destroyed in 1945 were rebuilt.
description
The menhir was made of sandstone . It was about 180 cm high. It had the shape of a square pillar tapering towards the top with a rounded tip. Possibly this was already a replacement or a reworking of an original, prehistoric menhir. Archaeological finds from its surroundings are not known. In 1945 the stone was destroyed in a bomb attack. In 1953 an obelisk was erected in its place .
The menhir in regional legends and customs
There are several legends about the menhir that are based on real events in 1463: At this time, the Lords of Tann attacked the county of Henneberg , which also included Kaltenwestheim. In the defense of the place, the women stood out, which is why the Count von Henneberg had them erected a column of honor. Since the men of Kaltenwestheim were messing around with the stone, the women obtained criminal law from the count. A “stone schoolin” was appointed who received a bell and could call the women of the village to punish the men for further mischief.
From this incident the legend developed that one should n't joke on the stone , otherwise the stone schoolgirl would come with several women who attack the monster with pliers and forks, drive him into the water and bathe him. They would also put a wreath of straw on him and throw him a bunch of hay. Only through a monetary donation would the women finally let go of him. The same should happen to people who praise or scold the stone within the locality. Another legend reports that the furrows in the stone are said to have been caused by the scythes and weapons being sharpened before the battle.
On the occasion of the historical basis of these legends, a festival takes place every year from May 5th to 8th.
literature
- Hans-Jürgen Beier : The megalithic, submegalithic and pseudomegalithic buildings and the menhirs between the Baltic Sea and the Thuringian Forest (= contributions to the prehistory and early history of Central Europe. Volume 1). Wilkau-Haßlau 1991, p. 73.
- Horst Kirchner: The menhirs in Central Europe and the menhir thought (= Academy of Sciences and Literature. Treatises of the humanities and social sciences class. Born 1955, No. 9). Wiesbaden 1955, p. 187.
- A. Koch: The Westheimer whetstone in the Kaltenwestheimer Festival. 1956.
- Paul Lehfeld, Georg Voss: Architectural and art monuments of Thuringia (Kr. Meiningen). Volume 37, Jena 1911, pp. 215-216.
- P. Quensel: Thuringian legends. In: P. Zaunert (Ed.): Deutscher Sagenschatz. Jena 1926, pp. 153-154.
- Waldtraut Schrickel : Western European elements in the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age of Central Germany. Part 1. Catalog Leipzig 1957, pp. 43–45.
- Reinhold Stirzel: The women from Kaltenwestheim and their whetstone. In: The Rhönwacht. , Heft 4, 2000, pp. 190–193 (with illustration of the stone around 1920) .