Stone cross near Röthenbach

The stone cross near Röthenbach is a historical atonement cross in the community-free area Winkelhaid in the central Franconian district of Nürnberger Land in Bavaria .

location

The stone cross is located about 1.1 kilometers west of Röthenbach near Altdorf and 1.1 kilometers north of Ludersheim . It is clearly visible there to the west of a forest road that branches off from the LAU 13 district road . The administration of the Bavarian State Forests put up an information board on site in 2017.

History and legend

The time of origin is said to be around 1500. In the 16th century a younger, second atonement cross was added, which, according to legend, marked the grave site of officers of the Thirty Years' War at the original location . On a historical map by Schunter from 1720, a martyr is shown at the place of the cross . The two stone crosses, however, were in the 19th century when removing the dirt road to Ungelstetten to today's county road LAU 13 by 50 meters to the northwest in the way and were translocated . When the crosses were taken out to be moved, they were damaged and they dug up but found nothing. The memorial, which today consists of two parts of different ages, was built from the remaining remains of the two crosses.

The Bavarian original cadastre still shows both stone crosses in their original location in the 1810s.

description

The massive atonement cross is made of sandstone and about 110 cm high, 90 cm wide and 30 cm deep. The weathering phenomena are quite pronounced. The scratches on the (eastern) front could represent a ploughshare . However, these can also be more recent. The right arm of the older, upper cross is missing. In the intersection area are the remains of a drawing. Below the crossbar there is a break, the lower part with scratches seems to come from the younger cross. The cross was moved and used to stand on a dirt road.