Ruhbank (Hüffenhardt)
The Ruhbank is a small monument near Hüffenhardt in the Neckar-Odenwald district in northern Baden-Württemberg . Compared to most other rest benches , this one stands out due to its comparatively skillful design and the incorporated hour stone. The Ruhbank was built in 1819 by the municipality of Hüffenhardt south of the village on the hilltop of the Hippberg at the former junction of the road from Hüffenhardt via Siegelsbach to Heilbronn and via Obergimpern to Eppingen .
The rest bench made of sandstone , like most rest benches, consists of a lower bench and a higher bench for storing loads carried on the back. The installation site at the junction or on the hilltop is characteristic of relaxation benches. The outer lintel stone of the higher bank has decorative elements and bears several inscriptions. The cross-section of the stone describes two thirds of an arc and then turns into a triangular profile, the angle of which corresponds to the V-shaped branch of the old paths. The lintel ends at the top with a capital with a cap-shaped attachment. The headboard and column shaft are made of two different stones.
In the upper area, the lintel bears the inscription Ort Hiffenhardt: 1819 , which indicates the establishment of the Ruhbank by the community in that year. The inscriptions Siegelsbach: 1/4 St :, Heilbronn: 4 St: and Obergimpern: 1 St :, Eppingen: 4 St: on the respective sides of the stone indicate the direction and distance of the named places. The abbreviation St stands for the distance in the hour , which was 14815 feet around 1800 and 4444 meters after the metric system introduced in 1870. In the lower area of the hour stone there is also the inscription Whoever damages a tree is severely punished , which warns in particular of the damage to the fruit trees along the roads that have been common since around 1780.
Due to the expansion of the road from Hüffenhardt to Siegelsbach, the level of the terrain around the bank has changed slightly without the bank having been adjusted. As a result, the original bench is now at floor level, while the originally 85 cm high load bench is now at seat height.
In addition to the artfully crafted hour stone, the mortising of the bench with the hour stone and the fixation with a forged element was technically demanding for the conditions at the time. However, this type of mortise was dispensed with in the partial renewal of the hourly stone that had already been repaired a few years ago.
literature
- Reinhard Wolf : A unique small monument: stone bench and hour stone near Hüffenhardt in Unser Land, home calendar for Neckar Valley, Odenwald, building land and Kraichgau , Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung publishing house 1998
