Schwanenstein

The Schwanenstein near Lohme

Schwanenstein in the surf

Schwanenstein up close

Map from 1829 with Schwanenstein

The Schwanenstein is a boulder off the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania . It is located about 100 m east of the port of the municipality of Lohme on the northern edge of the Jasmund peninsula about 20 m from the beach in the Baltic Sea . It has a mass of 162 t and a volume of 60 m³ and, as the fifth largest boulder, like about 20 other large debris, is one of the legally protected geotopes on the island of Rügen. Its floor plan is about seven meters long and five meters wide. The boulder is shown stylized in the Lohme coat of arms as a motif.

Origin and characteristics

The swan stone consists of so-called hammer granite and was very likely transported from Bornholm to its current location during the last ice age . The high proportion of potassium feldspar contributes to its reddish appearance . On the west side, the stone is traversed by a noticeable fissure, which has been enlarged over time by the crystallization pressure of frozen ice and will probably soon lead to the detachment of a large slab.

Legends and stories

As with many other boulders, legends and stories are also associated with the Schwanenstein.

Memorial plaque to the legend and misfortune at Schwanenstein Lohme

According to a legend, Adebar brings babies to Rügen in summer and the swan in winter . Until then, the children are hidden in the stone. (See memorial plaque and web page)

A sad incident occurred on February 13, 1956, when some boys from the children's home and the village of Lohme were near the shore on the frozen Baltic Sea. The weather suddenly changed, a storm came up and broke the ice. Three boys saved themselves on the Schwanenstein. When the wind increased, which turned into a hurricane, a feverish rescue operation began. Local fishermen, a fishing cutter from Sassnitz and border guards tried to save the children, but storms and surf ruined all efforts. Rescue workers from outside, for example a pioneer train from the barracked People's Police from Prora , got stuck in the meter-high snowdrifts. Only the next morning, when the weather had calmed down, the three boys Helmut Petersen, Uwe Wassilowsky and Manfred Prewitz could only be rescued dead from the Schwanenstein. They were buried in the cemetery of Nipmerow, a district of Lohme. 39 years later, on February 14, 1995, the grave was given a memorial stone on the initiative of children from the Lohme children's home. (see also reminder board)