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Nettgau

Nettgau is a grand dolmen consisting of four pairs of supporting stones. The current state of preservation is good, a capstone has fallen down, fragments of one or two other capstones lie in or out of the chamber. The rectangular chamber is oriented east-east-west-southwest, 5.3 meters wide and 1.5 meters wide. All eleven support stones and three of formerly probably four capstones are preserved. The largest capstone measures 2.5 m x 1.9 m x 0.8 m. An enclosure was already in 1843 no longer available.

The tomb is located north of a large chipboard factory on a field, but there is no way through the field, you should visit the tomb only after harvesting or before sowing. Drive from Nettgau on the K1127 towards Mellin. About 900 m after Nettgau, turn left on a side street in a northwesterly direction. Follow this road for approximately 1.8 km and pass the factory to your left until the factory site is over and a dirt road turns left. Either park your car here and drive on (not allowed) for 400 m. The tomb is under a group of trees in the field to your left.

Visited March 2019

Folklore

Nettgau
Chambered Tomb

There used to be an exceptional stone on this megalithic tomb, the “Hexenstein” (“Witch stone”). The following legend has been handed down:

A beekeeper from Gladdenstedt wanted to bring his bees into the heath and had his boy with him to help him unload. When both came with their team to the witch stone, the horse was suddenly quiet and was unable to get out of the spot. When his father got off the carriage, to his astonishment, he saw that the horse was getting a foal. The boy was now also curious, got off the carriage and looked. At that moment, the horse struck and hit the boy so badly in the forehead that he fell dead to the ground on the spot. As a reminder, the father had the hoof of a horse and a foal and a cross cut in a large stone.

Alfred Pohlmann: Sagen aus der Altmark. Stendal 1901

Sites within 20km of Nettgau