Ruhstein
A Ruhstein , also called Ruhestein , Ruhbank , Grubstock , Gruhe , Gruhbank , Krugstatt or Gruegstatt as well as Raststein , is a single or multi-section bench that was used in earlier times for porters to rest. While there were originally comparable devices made of wood, the rest benches that have survived to this day are made of stone. As witnesses to earlier forms of transport and old traffic routes, many resting benches are now classified as small or field monuments .
Rest stones are not to be confused with rug or court stones, the reason for which is completely different. Linguistic blurring and misinterpretations of colloquial and regional names have resulted in the two groups of monuments becoming equal in some cases, which in some cases can only be differentiated through research on the respective monument .
Uses and forms
Most of the rest stones that have been preserved date from the period between the 16th and 19th centuries, when farmers , servants , maidservants , messengers , peddlers or traders carried heavy loads with back carriers or on their heads. Most resting stones are significantly higher than conventional benches so that the users could pick up the transported goods independently after their rest. The respective shapes range from simple, roughly hewn stones to multi-section, artistically designed benches. More elaborate and newer models have a low part for sitting and a high part for storing loads. Often only the storage space was made of stone, so that the wooden bench that went with it was no longer preserved. Comparable devices that were made entirely of wood have now completely disappeared. In Ober-Hilbersheim in Rheinhessen still in 1925 to a wooden Ruhebank have stood.
Rest benches were usually set up in places that were ideal for resting, for example before, during or after an ascent or descent, halfway to connecting roads, at crossroads or in exposed places that provided a view of the rest of the route. The locations were often chosen with groups of trees providing shade. On older maps such benches are occasionally with the abbreviation Rhb. drawn. In several places in southern Germany and Carinthia , rest stones were used as a so-called rest for the dead . Since in many areas a long way to the next churchyard had to be covered, these were then used to set down coffins.
While the erection of many Ruhsteins from the 19th century can still be traced back to the ordinances and orders of the authorities, this is no longer possible with older benches. Orally in the Eifel, it is said that repentant people could take a vow to build such a bank. They could then expect some kind of indulgence, comparable to putting up an atonement cross . Due to the lack of writings, one can only speculate about such stories. Like other field monuments, Ruhstones still inspire people's imagination today. Some of these benches are surrounded by more or less eerie stories or legends . It is not uncommon for there to be cross stones or shrines in the immediate vicinity of the old rest stops , which reinforce the impression of the mysterious and puzzling.
Through the use of vehicles, rest benches largely lost their practical purpose in the course of the 20th century. Since they were sometimes perceived as an obstacle to road construction or land consolidation until the 1970s , a large part of them was removed or destroyed. Heavy weathering, not least due to the use of road salt, also contributed to the loss. Some resting stones sank into the ground so that they were or are no longer recognizable as such. In the meantime, numerous preserved resting benches are under monument protection . In many places they have been restored, provided with information boards or even rebuilt.
Distribution and names
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The distribution area of Ruhsteins is clearly related to the occurrence of sandstone and basalt , which were suitable for their production.
In the German-speaking area, most of the resting benches are in the Kraichgau and Neckarland in Baden-Württemberg, where a total of around 140 such objects are documented. There are more than 50 so-called Gruhen in the Ludwigsburg district alone . In Stuttgart, the name of the Ruhbank (TV tower) tram stop is a reminder of such a facility. It is located in an exposed location on the Bopser mountain . There is a modern replica of an old Gruhe at the bus stop. Swabian terms such as Gruobbank, Grubbank, Gruabets, Gruhe, Grue, Gruobe, Gruge, Krugbank or Krugstatt are probably derived from Geruhbank .
Several dozen so-called Napoleon's benches have been preserved in northern Alsace . About 20 of these benches were erected in 1811/12 on the occasion of the birth of Napoléon-François-Joseph-Charles Bonaparte , for example between Wissembourg and Lembach , west of Surbourg , near Frœschwiller and near Rœschwoog . Numerous other copies were made in 1854 to commemorate the wedding of Empress Eugénie and Napoleon III. set up. The Alsatians called them Nabele Bank (derived from Napoleon Bank ). This name is also common in the neighboring Palatinate . In Pirmasens , the Ruhbank district takes its name from a bank in the old town center. In 1948 a new resting bench was built there. The name of the bridge bank is also passed down in Rheinhessen .
In the Eifel and Neuwied Basin , Ruhsteins are called Räst , Rast or Sitz . The basalt lava used there, which is considered to be extremely weather-resistant, suggests that the oldest benches have been preserved here. However, due to the lack of documentation, this cannot be proven.
In Hesse, the name Ruh is common, which is still reminiscent of field names such as An der Ruh , Bei der Ruh or Ruhacker . The expression Mahnstein used in the Hanau and Frankfurt area up to the Rheingau is reminiscent of so-called Mahne or Manne, regional words for carrying backs.
Many copies or corresponding field or street names such as Am Ruhstein or Ruhsteinweg can also be found in Upper and Middle Franconia. Remaining objects, some from the 16th and 17th centuries, can be found in the Upper Franconian communities of Effeltrich , Hetzles , Langensendelbach , Mitwitz , Schneckenlohe , in the Middle Franconian cities of Nuremberg , Fürth , Erlangen , Höchstadt an der Aisch or in the Veitsbronn and Schwanstetten municipalities .
Hearth stones must also have been widespread in the rest of Bavaria, Austria and Silesia. However, no comprehensive documentation is available for these and numerous other regions.
literature
- Reinhard Wolf : Gruhen in the Ludwigsburg district. In: Ludwigsburg history sheets. 36/1984, pp. 7-81.
Web links
- Rest stones, rest, (dead) rest, Napoleon's benches etc. at suehnekreuz.de
- Once calm on the "Gruhe" In: Leonberger Kreiszeitung. October 27, 1995.
- Stone benches in the Palatinate, Electoral Palatinate and Northern Alsace.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Ruhsteine ( memento of December 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) in the encyclopedia of monumentum.net
- ↑ Rest stones, rest, (dead) rest, Napoleon's benches etc. at suehnekreuz.de
- ↑ a b c d Rudolf Wild: The origin of the Napoleon banks . 2008 ( suehnekreuz.de [accessed on October 13, 2012]).
- ↑ Postamtmann Harrsch: Totenrasten . In: Deutsche Gaue . tape XXXIII , no. 638-640 , 1932, pp. 92 .
- ↑ Franz Zettler: The stone cross . The land monuments of the district of Erlangen. In: Mitteilungs-Blätter of the German Stone Cross Research . No. 1/2 , 1942, p. 24 .
- ↑ Eduard Skudnigg: shrines and dead lights in Carinthia . In: Carinthian home life . 2nd Edition. No. 14 , 1972, p. 41 .
- ^ Hermann Fischer, Wilhelm Pfleiderer: Swabian dictionary . 6 volumes, 1904–1936. Laupp, Tübingen.
- ^ Rudolf Wild: Ruhbank near Pirmasens , visited on February 22, 2010.
- ↑ Elke Lehmann-Brauns: Heaven, Hell, Plague and Wolves . Basalt lava crosses of the Eifel. JP Bachem Verlag, Cologne 1986, ISBN 3-7616-0852-7 , p. 38 .
- ^ Kurt Mötzing: Resting, memorial stones and Napoleon's benches. A previously significant cultural monument of the village hall . In: The Werraland . No. 1 , 1969, p. 7–9 ( suehnekreuz.de [accessed October 13, 2012]).
- ↑ The Ruhstein near Mödlitz ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) (accessed on October 13, 2012)
- ↑ Ruhestein in the district of Schwand (Schwanstetten) (accessed on October 13, 2012).