Hunger stone
A hunger stone (German: Hungerstein) is a type of hydrological landmark common in Central Europe. Hunger stones serve as famine memorials and warnings and were erected in Germany and in ethnic German settlements throughout Europe in the 15th through 19th centuries.
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These stones were embedded into a river during droughts to mark the water level as a warning to future generations that they will have to endure famine-related hardships if the water sinks to this level again. One famous example in the Elbe river in Děčín, Czech Republic, has "Wenn du mich siehst, dann weine" ("If you see me, then weep") carved into it as a warning.[1]
Many of these stones, featuring carvings or other artwork, were erected following the hunger crisis of 1816–1817 caused by the eruptions of the Tambora volcano.[2]
In 1918, a hunger stone on the bed of the Elbe River, near Děčín, became exposed during a period of low water coincident with the wartime famines of World War I.[3] Similar hunger stones in the river were uncovered again during droughts in 2018[4] and in 2022.[5]
Known hunger stones
| River | Location | Notes | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danube | Budapest, right (Buda) riverside at the foot of the Gellért Hill, very close to Szabadság híd | A small stone, Ínség-szikla/kő (English: Famine/Hunger cliff/stone) in the Danube, which is visible at water levels below 95 cm. The stone is located 95.75 metres above sea level. This is the last such remaining stone in the vicinity, the other ones were demolished when the river bank path was built between 1898 and 1899 | .jpg.webp) |
| Elbe | Děčín (Tetschen)
left riverbank, near the Tyrs bridge |
The stone measures approximately 6 m³ and is carved with different years of drought. The oldest readable carving is from 1616, with older carvings (1417 and 1473) having been wiped out by anchoring ships during the years. The stone also features the Czech sentence „Neplač holka, nenaříkej, když je sucho, pole stříkej“ (lit. "Girl, don't weep and moan, if it's dry, water the field"), probably added in 1938.[6] This hunger stone is one of the oldest hydrological landmarks in the Elbe river. | .JPG.webp) |
| Elbe | Těchlovice nad Labem near Děčín | Stone with the number 1666 (Roman: MDCLXVI) | |
| Elbe | Těchlovice near Děčín | Stone with multiple years: 1892, 1903, 1904, 1911, 1928, 1963, 2015 etc. | .JPG.webp) |
| Elbe | Dolní Žleb, part of Děčín | Approximately ten stones with the years 1842, 1868, 1892, 1904, 2015[7] | .JPG.webp) |
| Elbe | Schmilka, near the border crossing[8] | ||
| Elbe | Prossen, beneath former train conductor's house | Five years between 1928 and 2015 are carved on a skewed stone plate[8] | |
| Elbe | Königstein, near the village | Year 1681 | |
| Elbe | Königstein, left riverbank near the Biela river | Years 1952, 2003, 2015 | .JPG.webp) |
| Elbe | Stadt Wehlen, district of Pötzscha | Year 1868[8] | .JPG.webp) |
| Elbe | Pirna, district Oberposta, right riverbank | According to the city archives, a stone with the year 1115 existed but its location is no longer known. Near Oberposta there is a stone with more than fifteen years between 1707 and 2015 carved into it |  |
| Elbe | Dresden-Pillnitz, near the stairs of Pillnitz Castle's western sphinx | Years: 1778, 1893, 1904, 2003, 2018. | .JPG.webp) |
| Elbe | Dresden-Laubegast | Years: 1893, 1899, 2003, 2015. | .JPG.webp) |
| Elbe | Dresden-Tolkewitz, near Tolkewitzer Street 73 | Year: 2016. | .JPG.webp) |
| Elbe | Dresden-Blasewitz | 2 by 2 meter stone near kilometer 48.7 with years: 1930, 1943, 1947, 1950, 1963 etc. | |
| Elbe | Radebeul-Kötzschenbroda, near the steam ship port | Year 1811[9] | .JPG.webp) |
| Elbe | Meißen | Was recorded by Johann Friedrich Usinus to have been spotted in 1746 bearing the carving of the year 1654[10] | |
| Elbe | Torgau, on the right side near the destroyed bridge | Can be seen at a water level of 50 cm or lower |  |
| Elbe | Schönebeck (Elbe), near kilometer 311 on the right riverbank | Measuring 1,5 by 1,5 by 2 meters and weighing 10 tons |  |
| Elbe | Schönebeck (Elbe), museum of the city (formerly in the port) | 47 cm in size, year: 1904 |  |
| Elbe | Westerhüsen, part of Magdeburg | see Hungerstones near Westerhülsen |  |
| Elbe | Magdeburg, Domfelsen | Red sandstone formation near Domfelsen, also called Hungerfelsen (lit. "hunger rock"); carved 2018 in August |  |
| Elbe | Bleckede, near the ferry port | Kilometer 550. Carved with the sentence: Geht dieser Stein unter, wird das Leben wieder bunter (lit. When this stone goes under, life will become more colourful again) [11] | |
| Moselle | Traben-Trarbach-Litzig, left riverside | ||
| Mündesee | Angermünde, north of the village | ||
| Rhine | Worms-Rheindürkheim, near kilometer 449.4 on the left riverbank | Several stones, years ranging from 1857 to 2009 |  |
| Rhine | Wageningen, Lexkesveer | Hunger-climate stone, placed by Extinction Rebellion, text 'Climate justice, 2022' |  |
| Weser | Near Hajen, on the left riverbank | Red sandstone that was smoothed by the river |  |
| Weser | Würgassen | 3 m³ hunger stone with the years 1800, 1840, 1842, 1847, 1850, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1865, 1874, 1876, 1881, 1911, 1922, 1934 and 1959[12] |
Common years
| Year | Number of hunger stones marked |
|---|---|
| 1115 | 1 |
| 1417 | 1 |
| 1461 | 1 |
| 1616 | 1 |
| 1654 | 1 |
| 1666 | 1 |
| 1681 | 1 |
| 1707 | 2 |
| 1746 | 1 |
| 1778 | 1 |
| 1790 | 1 |
| 1800 | 2 |
| 1811 | 2 |
| 1830 | 1 |
| 1840 | 1 |
| 1842 | 3 |
| 1847 | 1 |
| 1850 | 1 |
| 1857 | 2 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1868 | 2 |
| 1874 | 1 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1881 | 1 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1921 | 2 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1928 | 2 |
| 1930 | 1 |
| 1934 | 1 |
| 1943 | 1 |
| 1947 | 2 |
| 1950 | 1 |
| 1952 | 1 |
| 1959 | 2 |
| 1963 | 3 |
| 1971 | 1 |
| 2003 | 3 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2015 | 7 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2022 | ? |
See also
References
- Damonoske, Camila (24 August 2018). "Drought In Central Europe Reveals Cautionary 'Hunger Stones' In Czech River". NPR.org. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- David, Lederer (8 August 2017). "Climate and History: Hunger, Anti-Semitism, and Reform During the Tambora Crisis of 1815–1820". German History in Global and Transnational Perspective. Springer. p. 24. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-53063-9_2.
- "'Hunger Stone' appears". The New York Times. Associated Press. 1 August 1918. p. 1.
- Dockrill, Peter. "Sinister 'Hunger Stones' With Dire Warnings Have Been Surfacing in Europe". Science Alert. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- James, Liam (16 August 2022). "'If you see me, cry': Drought reveals 'hunger stones' in River Elbe historically used to forecast famine". The Independent. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- "Labe je 24 centimetrů pod hladinou sucha, odhalilo všechny hladové kameny" [Elbe is 24 centimetres below dry level, revealing all the hunger stones]. iDNES.cz (in Czech). 25 July 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- "Vysychající koryto Labe odkrývá na Děčínsku hladové kameny" [Drying Elbe riverbed reveals hunger stones in the Děčín region]. iDNES.cz (in Czech). 12 September 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- Riegel, Nancy (2 August 2018). "Die stillen Zeugen der Elbe" [The silent witnesses of the Elbe]. Sächsische Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- "Zeuge schlechter Zeiten" [Witness of bad times]. SZ-Online (in German). 11 August 2018. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- Johann Friedrich Ursinus (1790). Collektanea zur Geschichte der Stadt und des Landes Meißen [Collection on the history of the city and country of Meissen] (in German).
- "Bleckede: Schwindende Elbe legt Hungerstein frei" [Bleckede: Shrinking Elbe exposes hunger stone]. Deutschland News (in German). Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- Karl Löbe (1968). Das Weserbuch. Roman eines Flusses [The Weser Book. Novel of a river] (in German). Hameln: Verlag C. W. Niemeyer. ISBN 978-3-8271-9028-4.
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