Wartislawstein
The Wartislawstein near Grüttow , municipality of Stolpe an der Peene in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district , is a rare Slavic stone that, according to local legends, was associated with the murder of the first Christian prince of Pomerania , Wartislaw I , also known as Wartislaw the Confessor to remind a pagan, Wendish nobleman.
The stone is said to have been erected by his brother Ratibor, who later had the so-called Wartislaw Church built in Stolpe for the dead Wartislaw (the current one is a new building from the 19th century). In 1153, Ratibor donated the Stolpe monastery in Pomerania as the first in memory of his brother, the remains there are the oldest stone buildings in Pomerania.
Another interpretation of the stone sees it as a boundary stone between the monastery and the aristocratic property.
The archaeological Corpus II (Berlin 1979), No. 49/63. 1999 says: Old boundary stone between monastery and duke property, so-called Wartislawstein. It was believed for a long time to have nothing to do with the murder of Wartislaw, but to all appearances it was a boundary stone between the possessions of the monastery and the duke, the monastery being denoted by a cross and the ducal possession by a horn.
The stone itself is made of red granite . It is a flat stone, rises about 1.0 m above the ground. It is approximately 0.9 m wide and 0.4 m thick. The front is adorned with a Latin cross and a drinking horn . This picture is supposed to symbolize the victory of Christianity over paganism promoted by Wartislaw.
With favorable light incidence with shadows, a human figure can be seen in a frame line on the back of the stone - only fragmentarily due to weathering.
The stone was moved locally several times. According to our knowledge, it is said to have stood about 300 m southeast of the current location in the field. He should mark the suspected scene of the murder there. When the stone railway (today's B 110) was built around 1850, it was moved to its current location.
Around 2005, the jaw growing next to him had to be removed because there was a risk that it could damage the stone.
It is one of the oldest historical monuments in Pomerania and one of the first stone monuments from its time. The similar Slavic picture stones, as for example in Altenkirchen, Bergen and Wolgast, were later walled up in the churches.
An expert opinion by the State Archaeological Museum and State Office for Ground Heritage Preservation says: “The stylistic classification of the pictures shows that this work was carried out at different times. The oldest is the figure on the back, probably interpreted as a Christ or a warrior, which was carved into the stone as early as the 12th century. The cross and horn, on the other hand, may not have followed until the 13th to 15th centuries. Whether the monument known today as the "Wartislawstein" was actually erected to honor or commemorate the Pomeranian Duke Wartislaw I, who was murdered in 1135, remains doubtful, since the stone has only been named this since the 19th century. "
Accordingly, the stone is probably to be interpreted as follows: After the killing of Wartislaw, it was set up by his brother Ratibor as a memorial or atonement stone with the figure on today's reverse. Due to ignorance of the historical context, it was later (13th – 15th centuries) used as a boundary stone between the monastery and the dominal (cross - horn) and the two symbols were incorporated. It was not until the transfer around 1850 that the old legend of the killing was remembered and the stone was called "Wartislawstein".
literature
- Lutz Mohr : What does the "Wartislaw stone" between Stolpe and Grüttow near Anklam in East Western Pomerania tell us? In: Stone Cross Research (SKF). Studies on German and international land monument research. Edited by Rainer H. Schmeissner. Anthology No. 23 (NF 8), Regensburg 1996, pp. 85-89
- Angela Krüger: Wartislawstein 2012. Attempt to reinterpret the lines . In: Home calendar ANKLAM and the surrounding area 2014. 750 years of the city of Anklam. Year 85, new series 23. Founded by Max Sander. Strasburg (Uckermark): Schibri-Verlag 2013, pp. 25–27, fig. U. swell
Web links
Coordinates: 53 ° 51 '59.9 " N , 13 ° 31" 59.4 " E