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Steinfeld

Chambered Tomb

<b>Steinfeld</b>Posted by NucleusImage © Uwe Häberle 04/2019
Latitude:52° 37' 36.91" N
Longitude:   11° 42' 30.13" E

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Fieldnotes

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The megalithic tomb of Steinfeld is the largest in the Altmark.

It is a grand dolmen consisting of seven pairs of supporting stones and a trapezoidal enclosure. The current state of preservation is good, most of the stones are still present, but all enclosure stones have fallen down and most of the capstones have sunken into the chamber. The enclosure is north-worthwest south-southeast orientated and about 47 m long and 6.5 (north) - 4.8 m (south) wide. Fifty-three of a total of sixty enclosure stones are preserved. The two cornerstones of the southern end are exceptionally huge ("Guardians"). The rectangular chamber is also north-northwest south-southeast orientated, 8.5 m long and 2 m wide. All seventeen support stones and all six capstones are preserved, the biggest capstones measures 2.2 m x 1.6 m x 0.6 m.

Drive on the L15 (Klädener Straße) from Steinfeld towards Kläden. Before the road leaves the village, it makes a left turn to the west. Turn slightly right here and drive straight ahead (north) on the road "Am Schützenhaus" for about 130 m until you reach a parking space with a playground and the tomb.

Visited April 2019
Nucleus Posted by Nucleus
30th April 2019ce
Edited 1st May 2019ce

taken from the information board:

Megalithic Tomb Steinfeld
Megalithic Tombs - Silent witnesses of the past
More than 4500 years ago, the inhabitants built these places of worship

The term megalithic tombs dates back to the Middle Ages.
During the Ice Age, the stones from northern Europe, central and southern Sweden were brought to our area through the ice.
During the construction of the graves tree trunks were used as rolls and piled inclined planes for the transport of the tons of boulders.

In 1843 there were 34 in the district of Stendal, today there are only 4 tombs left in the area of Kläden.

The megalithic tomb of Steinfeld is the largest in the Altmark.
The well-preserved megalithic tomb has a length of about 47 m and a width of about 8 m. It consists of 77 stones and is north-northeast and south-southwest orientated. In the northern part of the enclosure is the burial chamber, in front of it are two gable stones.
The burial chamber consists of 17 wall stones and 6 capstones. The largest capstone is also called "sounding stone", because when you hit a bright, sonorous tone should sound.
On the southern narrow side of the enclosure are two cornerstones, the so-called "guardians" and a gable stone.

According to a legend, two giants are said to have thrown stones in the fight. At this point the megalithic tomb was created.

Further information at www.danneil-museum.de/graeber_lage (Note: URL inactive)
Nucleus Posted by Nucleus
30th April 2019ce
Edited 1st May 2019ce

Folklore

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The Hunebed near Steinfeld

In the distant past lived in Kläden and Steinfeld ever a giant. They were so comfortable with each other that they even had a communal oven, in Kläden. On the agreed days, the Kläden giant had taken charge of heating the stove, and if it was hot enough, he simply struck the baking trough with his dough knife. As often as the giant from Steinfeld heard this, he took his baking trough on his shoulder and went to Kläden. For a long time, the baking had gone quite well, until suddenly "de Pott broke," as they say. Once again, the certain baking day was there, the giant from Kläden wanted to clean his oven before heating.
In the course of his work, a fly always tormented him, which always came back, even though he drove it away so often. Finally he sat down quietly on the baking trough. "Wait," thought the giant, "now I want to take revenge," took his dough knife, took out and beat the fly with a heavy blow dead. But the stroke had been so strong that the giant from Steinfeld believed his huge colleague in Kläden have given him the agreed sign that the oven was hot. Although he was just about to knead the dough, he hurried, quickly picked up the bread and then hurried in huge steps for Kläden.

But how was he amazed when he saw that the giant baker from Kläden was still sitting comfortably at his breakfast, still had not put his hand on his dough and had not put a single firewood in the oven. As the giant from Steinfeld thought nothing else than giant from Kläden had wanted to fool him, he became angry, overwhelmed him with the greatest slanders, and there was nothing wrong with having put his baking trough with the bread dough over his head. Full of anger he ran back to Steinfeld; but the giant from Kläden, who did not want to put up with the rascally, always in the back, to take revenge. Shortly before Steinfeld, the two giants began to beat each other terribly, and when they had brawled each other, they began throwing each other with big stones that suited their huge hands. From this stone fight the huge stone blocks of the Hunebed have remained in Steinfeld, where they can still be seen today.
This megalith tomb is the largest in the Altmark and measures 50 meters in length. The capstone of the stone chamber is known as the "sounding stone" because it gives off a bright, sonorous sound when struck.
Nucleus Posted by Nucleus
30th April 2019ce