Nucleus

taken from the on-site information board:

Burial mound

From 2800 BC to the beginning of our era, prehistoric man built mounds of sand and turf over the dead. Existing burial mounds were also often used for subsequent burials. On such occasions, the mound was often made slightly larger. As this burial mound has not yet been excavated, it is not known exactly from which period it dates.

The Sonnenstein von Horsten is an irregularly shaped slab of reddish-grey granite porphyry, approximately 1.1 metres high and slightly wider. Seventeen concentric circles (outer diameter 77 cm) are carved into the flat front surface. A hole with a diameter of 3 cm forms the centre point.

The stone was found west of Horsten in a field around 1900, where it was used as a threshold for a garden gate until 1963. It was not until 1963 that its significance was recognised and the stone, which dates back to the Bronze Age, was recovered. The Horster Sonnenstein was preserved and erected in the Horster primary school in 1981. It is the largest sun stone ever found in Germany.

Unfortunately, the stone shown in the pictures (location: junction of “Am Schmelzofen” and “Am Warfacker”) is only a replica; the original is located in the primary school in Horsten.

Visited September 2025

taken from the on-site information board:

The Horster Sonnenstein

During the Bronze Age around 1000 BC, the life-giving power of the sun was probably worshipped, and 17 regular concentric circles were carved into this grey-red granite porphyry slab as a symbol of the sun.

There are only two other sun stones in northern Germany (in Beckstedt with 11 circles and in Harpstedt with 12 circles). Such concentric circles on stone blocks are known from Ireland and on rocks
in Scandinavia.

The front side probably faced east towards the rising sun or south towards the highest point of the sun. Where this Horster sun stone stood 3000 years ago and what significance it had will probably remain a mystery.

The groove stone, which is listed in Johannes Groht’s book “Menhire in Deutschland”, consists of a small round granite boulder, 45 cm high, which tapers at the top and has a groove carved around its circumference. It was discovered in 1962 under the floor of the village church at Stedesdorf. It is possible that it was deliberately integrated into the church as a pagan stone monument.

The purpose behind the groove, which gives the stone a phallic appearance, is unknown. The stone can be compared to similar stone carvings, some of which have been identified by archaeological findings as prehistoric cult stones.

The Stedesdorf groove stone stands on the church mound, on the north side of the free-standing bell tower of St. Aegidien Church in Stedesdorf.

Visited September 2025

The Radbodsberg (also known as Rabbelsberg) in the district of Brill, is a burial mound where, according to popular tradition, the Frisian king Radbod is said to be buried.

With has a diameter of over 25 metres and a height of approximately 3 metres, the oval mound is the largest prehistoric mound in East Frisia. Two excavations between 1898 and 1904 uncovered, among other things, a Neolithic burial mound, six urn graves and ten cremation graves from the Bronze and Iron Ages, and a medieval horse grave. Several boulders may have belonged to a (Bronze Age) stone coffin.

The Radbodsberg is idyllically located in a small wood directly beside the road “Am Radbodsberg” in the municipality of Dunum.

Visited September 2025

A total of six boulders (F1 to F6) were found lying on a sandy island in the Lengener Moor, along the route of a boardwalk used between 35 BC and 350 AD between Ammerland and East Frisia. Boulder F5 is the largest of them and was erected in 1956 in memory of the dead in the memorial grove of the Wiesmoor cemetery in the district of Aurich. The boulder is approximately 4 metres high, 2.2 metres wide and 1.65 metres thick. Its weight is estimated at approximately 28 tonnes. If it ever stood upright on a sand island in the Lengener Moor, it would have been visible for miles in the treeless moor and therefore probably served as a landmark.

Visited September 2025

Although the Hilgensteen (Low German for “holy stone”) is listed in Johannes Groht’s book “Menhire in Deutschland” and on the German Wikipedia in the list of menhirs in Lower Saxony, there is no written evidence that it stood upright in historical times. The stone is made of red granite and has a flat and a blunt tip. It is 1.3 metres long, 0.8 metres wide and 0.44 metres thick. Its shape reminds me more of an altar stone.

The Hilgensteen was originally located on the site of what is now Wittmundhafen Air Base. According to Wikipedia, when the airfield was rebuilt in 1939, the stone was initially considered lost, but was rediscovered in 1951 and moved to its current location in Ardorf.

The Hilgensteen is located on the northern outskirts of Ardorf, 200 metres south of the town limits on the eastern side of Heglitzer Straße in an inconspicuous small enclosure directly on the roadside.

Visited September 2025

On my tour to the Hunebeds in Drenthe and Groningen in July 2018, I unfortunately had to skip three hunebeds in the Drentsche Aa National Park / De Strubben Kniphorstbosch (D7 Schipborg, D8-Anloo-Noord and D11 Anloo-Zuid) due to lack of time. In September 2025, I was on holiday in Emsland for three days and took the opportunity to visit these three remaining hunebeds for the first time.

D8 Kniphorstbos aka D8 Anloo-Noord is an east-northeast to west-southwest oriented passage grave. No stone enclosure could be identified. The burial chamber is 7.9 metres long and 4.4 metres wide. It has four pairs of support stones on the long sides, one stone on each of the short sides and four capstones. The entrance to the chamber is located in the middle of the southern long side. Originally, there was a passageway made of two wall stones in front of it, but only one of these remains.

From the car park (N53.05981° E6.68464°), it is very well signposted (as are all Hunebeds in the Netherlands) and can be reached on foot in about 1 kilometre. I highly recommend also visiting tomb D7 Schipborg during your stay. It is a truly picturesque walk through the beautiful landscape of the Drentsche Aa National Park / De Strubben Kniphorstbosch. Along the way you’ll pass the burial mound Galgenberg (Strubben-Kniphorstbos) and, if you like, Driemarkenpunt.

Visited September 2025

If you plan to visit Hunebeds D7 Schipborg and D8 – Anloo-N, do yourself a favour and include during your scenic stroll through the beautiful landscape of the Drentsche Aa National Park / De Strubben Kniphorstbosch the cairns Driemarkenpunt and Galgenberg (Strubben-Kniphorstbos) during your walk (about 3.6 km).

In De Strubben Kniphorstbosch you will also find dozens of burial mounds from just about all prehistoric periods. One of the largest mounds is called the Galgenberg or Gallows Hill. In the Middle Ages places like this were chosen to hang criminals. The authorities would let the body hang for days on the mound so that passers-by could see the fate that awaited wrong-doers. And this place is still very busy, as many paths cross here, meaning that lots of pedestrians, walkers and cyclists pass by.

Visited September 2025

If you plan to visit Hunebeds D7 Schipborg and D8 – Anloo-N, do yourself a favour and include during your scenic stroll through the beautiful landscape of the Drentsche Aa National Park / De Strubben Kniphorstbosch the cairns Galgenberg (Strubben-Kniphorstbos) and Driemarkenpunt during your walk (about 3.6 km).

Compared to Les Hamilton’s photos from 2014, two things stand out. Firstly, the burial mound is once again surrounded by trees, and secondly, a small standing stone has been placed in the centre of the mound. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any further information on this.

Visited September 2025

On my tour to the Hunebeds in Drenthe and Groningen in July 2018, I unfortunately had to skip three hunebeds in the Drentsche Aa National Park / De Strubben Kniphorstbosch (D7-Schipborg, D8-Anloo-N and D11-Anloo-Z) due to lack of time. In September 2025, I was on holiday in Emsland for three days and took the opportunity to visit these three remaining hunebeds for the first time.

D7-Schipborg has four capstones (one of which is broken), 8 supporting stones and a two stones building the passage, which lies in the south. It is 8.8 metres long and 3.1 metres wide.

From the car park (N53.05981° E6.68464°), it is very well signposted (as are all Hunebeds in the Netherlands) and can be reached on foot in about 150 metres. I highly recommend also visiting tomb D8 – Anloo-N during your stay. It is a truly picturesque walk through the beautiful landscape of the Drentsche Aa National Park / De Strubben Kniphorstbosch. Along the way you’ll pass the burial mound Galgenberg (Strubben-Kniphorstbos) and, if you like, Driemarkenpunt.

Visited September 2025

On my tour to the Hunebeds in Drenthe and Groningen in July 2018, I unfortunately had to skip three hunebeds in the Drentsche Aa National Park (D7-Schipborg, D8-Anloo-N and D11-Anloo-Z) due to lack of time. In September 2025, I was on holiday in Emsland for three days and took the opportunity to visit these three remaining hunebeds for the first time.

D11-Anloo-Z is just over 9.4 metres long and 3.7 metres wide. It consists of ten side stones, two capstones and four cover stones. Unfortunately, the western cover stone is missing and only one of the two gate stones is still in place. There are also several burial mounds from the Iron Age in the immediate vicinity of the tomb. The tomb is idyllically located in a clearing in the middle of a forest at a crossroads.

From the car park (N53.03468° E6.69870°, see picture by Les Hamilton), it is very well signposted (as are all Hunebeds in the Netherlands) and can be reached on foot in about 900 metres.

Visited September 2025

The megalithic tomb Mundersum is located somewhat away from the well-known megalithic tombs of the Emsland region. Even the Route of Megalithic Culture ignores this megalithic tomb in favour of the famous Thuine – In der Kunkenvenne and Langen – Auf dem Radberg tombs. As a result, the tomb is not signposted, difficult to find without a GPS device and probably rarely visited. At least there is an information board on site.

Mundersum consists of a long chamber that is still hidden deep in the ground. The chamber is 18 metres long and between 1.3 and 2.2 metres wide. According to German Wikipedia, ten capstones and 17 supporting stones, which are deeply embedded in the ground, are still preserved. Originally, the chamber probably had an oval enclosure, but nothing of this can be seen today.

Most of the stones are overgrown with moss and the spaces between them are filled with soil, making it difficult to make out the structure. Nevertheless, the tomb has a unique atmosphere and is well worth a visit.

The megalithic tomb is located west of Mundersum, a district of Lingen (Ems), in the so-called Mundersumer Sand in the forest. From Estringen, drive east on Estringer Straße towards Hüvede. Shortly before Hüvede, turn onto Rottumer Straße and continue until the road curves to the left. You can park here and continue straight ahead along the path between the forest and a field for approx. 660 m. You will come to a fork in the road; take the path to the right past a barrier. Follow this path for about 120 metres until a footpath leads to the left to the megalithic tomb. At the time of my visit, there was an improvised signpost to the tomb, as shown in the photo.

Visited September 2025

taken from the on-site information board:

Megalithic Tomb Mundersum

It is located about 2 km west of the village of Mundersum in a field called ‘Mundersumer Sand’.
The megalithic tombs were built in northern Germany between 3000 and 2000 BC by people of the so-called Funnel Beaker Culture during the Neolithic period (approx. 5000 – 2000 BC). They used boulders as building material, which had been transported from Scandinavia by glaciers during the penultimate ice age (Saale glaciation) around 200,000 years ago.
Caps stones were placed on top of vertically positioned supporting stones. The burial chambers constructed in this way were carefully sealed and then covered with earth (Figure 1). An adjustable entrance allows access. The megalithic tombs probably served as clan ossuaries, in which – in the large Emsland chambers – hundreds of dead found their final resting place.
Typical grave goods include pottery with ‘deep-cut decoration’, flint stone axes, scrapers, arrowheads and decorative beads made of amber, jet (a type of polishable coal) and, in some cases, copper (Figure 2). All of these items were important for a comfortable existence in the afterlife.
The people of the Neolithic Age were the first farmers. They ploughed with the hook plough (Figure 3), cultivated wheat and barley varieties as well as flax, and kept domestic animals. Little is known about how they lived together. In historic times, many megalithic tombs were robbed of their stones and destroyed. The Mundersum megalithic tomb is the only one that has been preserved in the municipality of Lingen.
It is a long stone chamber oriented from east-northeast to west-southwest. The former entrance was on the south side. The clear width of the chamber is approximately 18 m x 1.35 – 2.2 m.
The megalithic tomb is a cultural monument and must not be damaged.
Pictures:
1. Megalithic tomb according to Sprockhoff
2. Grave goods (drawing and photos)
3. Hook plough

Der Hunt is a stone setting which consists of six upright, rounded stones. In the centre stands a significantly larger, column-shaped stone that is about 1.5 metres high, 0.9 metres wide and 0.55 metres thick. According to the information board, the stone setting resembles a sitting dog, but I did not perceive it that way myself. According to German Wikipedia the site name is “Steinkreis von Bentstreek”, but for me, the site does not resemble a stone circle. But maybe this comes from the fact, that the site was re-erected in 1978 without any knowledge of the original state.
The site is listed in the book “Menhire in Deutschland” by Johannes Groht.

Visited September 2025

taken from the on-site information board:

Stone setting Hunt

Southwest of the village of Marx in the “Hunt” field stood a stone setting, which probably served as a road marker in the Middle Ages.
It consisted of a vertical centre stone 1.98 metres high, surrounded by four or five boulders in a circle. The exact number is unknown because the Hunt fell victim to heath cultivation. It owes its re-erection to deep ploughing measures, which brought the individual stones back to light. This Hunt stone setting in its current form was re-erected in 1978 by the Marx Citizens’ Association.
The original stone setting was located on the highest elevation about 200 metres southwest of its current location. The shape of the stone setting resembled a sitting dog. This is probably how the field name ‘Hunt’ came about.

Oll Gries is probably a medieval stone setting, which consists of four boulders arranged like a small square around a central stone. It was probably a road marker, but the site is listed in the book “Menhire in Deutschland” by Johannes Groht.

From Upschörter Straße (K50), which connects Wiesedermeer with Reepsholt, a sign leads into a dirt road at kilometre 5.9 to the north, walk from here about 700 m to the site.

Visited September 2025

taken from the on-site information board:

Oll Gries

The medieval stone setting Oll Gries (“Old Codger”) consists of four boulders arranged around a central stone. They were placed there in the late Middle Ages at the earliest. As old cart tracks were discovered near the stone setting, it could be interpreted as a landmark. The interpretation as a medieval landmark is supported by the importance of the road between Oldenburg and East Frisia as an old military and trade route.

Stapelstein is a Bronze Age stone cist and consists of four supporting stones with two capstones. Excavations in 1878 found no grave goods. Ernst Sprockhoff classifies the site as a stone cist rather than a megalithic tomb due to its small size.

The cist is located immediately north of the B346 road from Horsten to Friedeburg an eroded round barrow, so access is very easy.

Visited September 2025

taken from the on-site information board:

Megalithic tomb “Stapelstein”

On the natural hilltop near Etzel lies the megalithic tomb “Stapelstein”, which dates back to the Bronze Age.
It consists of four supporting stones with a capstone. The interior, which is approximately two metres long, could accommodate one deceased person. The mound covering the chamber is no longer present, and the capstone was damaged during blasting, causing the supporting stones to shift. Nothing is known about any grave goods found, so it has not been possible to date it precisely.

Wachtum is badly damaged; only one capstone and two supporting stones remain in a hollow on a mound (approximately 25m x 15m x 3m)

In the Lower Saxony Monument Atlas, the object is listed as an archaeological monument, ID 28944431.

According to Sprockhoff 1926:
Remains of a stone chamber in the oval depression of a round mound. The chamber faces east-west. The western end stone and an adjoining beam of the southern long wall are present, both in situ, and to the east of these is a capstone.

From Wachtum, drive towards Vinnen and turn left (Southwest) onto Vinner Straße shortly before leaving the village. After about 400 metres, you will find the site opposite a house on the left-hand side of the road in a small wood (called “Weißer Sand”).

Visited September 2025

This burial chamber was discovered in the 1920s on the Pennebusch parcel of land and was reconstructed in Malente in the district of Ostholstein in Schleswig-Holstein. It is now located south of the L 174 from Malente to Eutin-Sielbeck. It is around five metres long and 2.5 metres wide. The passage grave consists of ten large boulders, eight supporting stones and two capstones.

At a distance of around four metres around the megalithic tomb is a circle of small boulders, which is intended to represent the circumference of a mound of earth that usually covers a megalithic structure.

Visited October 2024

There was once an important burial site here on Wulfener Berg with several long beds up to 130 metres long. The giant bed of Wulfen is a replica of the working group ‘Schönes Wulfen’ e.V.

The model for the replica of the long bed is based on drawingsby the antiquities researcher and pastor Diederich Harries had made of a well-preserved longbed at the time, which was located on the salt marsh below the Wulfener Berg. It consisted of an east-west orientated enclosure and two chambers, each with seven supporting stones and two capstones. This megalithic structure was destroyed in 1876 when stones were needed to build a dyke.

The tomb is located on a golf course but is freely accessible. You can park in the Kuschelwiese car park approx. 220m south of the tomb.

Visited October 2024

Taken from the on-site information board:

THE SECRET OF THE ‘VITZDORF STONE CIST’.

You are standing in front of a replica of a so-called ‘longbed’ from the Neolithic period, which was around 4000 BC. The first farming population in Schleswig-Holstein built these structures and buried their dead in the stone chambers inside. Long beds or megalithic tombs are also called ‘giants tombs’ because it was believed that giants were buried in them. Some original remains of these megalithic tombs can still be found on Fehmarn today, including the ‘Vitzdorfer Steinkiste’ near Katharinenhof. As this tomb is located on private property, it is unfortunately not freely accessible to interested visitors, but the story surrounding this grave is one you must know, but please don’t be alarmed:

It was in 1420 when the Danish king Erik of Pomerania wanted to annex the strategically important Baltic island of Fehmarn, landed here with a sizeable army after several unsuccessful attempts, mercilessly wiped out all living things – 2,500 Fehmarans are said to have died – and from then on placed the attractive island under the rule of the Danish crown. Only very few Fehrnarans escaped the bloodbath, including a certain Christian Rauert, who hid in the Vitzdorf stone cist, the aforementioned megalithic tomb, namely in the bone chamber from which he was rescued after the Battle of Fehmarn. from which he emerged unscathed after the Battle of Fehmarn.

According to tradition, two other Fehmaran men survived, so that the three men made up the male population of the island, which was later interpreted to mean that all Fehmarans were inevitably related to each other and therefore only ‘nepotism’ prevailed here. It is commonly said that ‘faith moves mountains’ and if this is true, then it’s no wonder that Fehmarn is so flat.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF ERNST-LUDWIG KIRCHNER?
He was a famous German expressionist painter who lived on Fehmarn for a long time and whose works were considered ‘degenerate’ during the terrible Nazi era. A museum was built in his honour; the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Documentation in Burg.
Here you can admire some of his most beautiful works.

Taken from the on-site information board:

On Wulfener Berg there was an important Stone Age burial ground with megalithic tombs dating from 3600-3200 BC. Particularly noteworthy were several long beds (‘giant beds’) up to 130 metres long. Long beds are Stone Age megalithic tombs that are covered by a long rectangular mound of earth. mound.

In 1836, the archaeologist and pastor Diederich Harries described the tombs near Wulfen, which had already been largely destroyed by then. The stones were blown up by stonecutters and sold as building material. Today there are no traces of the burial ground.

The working group ‘Schönes Wulfen’ e.V. encouraged the reconstruction of a long bed and organised the implementation of the project in 2010. It was modelled on a drawing that Pastor Harries had made of a longbed that was still in good condition at the time, which had been located on the salt marsh below the Wulfener Berg.

The long bed consisted of an east-west orientated stone enclosure and two chambers, each with seven supporting stones and two capstones. This grave was destroyed in 1876 when stones were needed to build a dyke.

The stones used for the 60 metre long and 7 metre wide replica were collected from various places all over Fehmarn and erected with the help of excavators. The stones were not covered with earth, as was customary in the Stone Age, nor were the gaps between the stones filled with dry masonry and clay.

Until the 18th century, the opinion persisted, that the megalithic tombs built from boulders weighing several tonnes could only be the work of giants with superhuman strength. It was not until the late 19th century that scientific research into megalithic tombs (Greek: megas = large, lithos = stone) began.

Today we know that the North German and Scandinavian megalithic tombs were built by Stone Age farmers. They used wooden rollers and poles as levers to build the tombs.

The stone chambers were collective tombs in which numerous dead were buried over a long period of time. It is possible that only the bones were deposited after the deceased had been laid elsewhere.

Common burial objects for the afterlife were flint axes and decorated clay vessels with funnel-shaped rims, the so-called ‘funnel cups’.

Albertsdorf (Sprockhoff #250), also known as Alversteen, is probably an extended dolmen on the island of Fehmarn, of which 4 supporting stones and a capstone (2 x 1.8 x 0.9 m) have survived. The end stones are missing, so that the original size of the tomb can no longer be recognised. The dolmen once served as a prominent sea marker.

Today, the extremely well-kept and exceptionally accessible tomb is located in a small wood and can be easily reached on a footpath along the coast. It can also be reached by travelling south past Albertsdorf and following the dirt track southwards. The is also a small car park nearby (N54° 25.185’ E11° 06.154’)

Visited October 2024

Taken from the on-site information board:

The cross on the tomb in gold

‘BE CAREFUL, GOLD!

You are at a historic site here, because this giant tomb, also known as Alversteen or Alverston, is an approximately 5500-year-old megalithic site from the Neolithic period.
And what is a megalithic site? Scientists use the term to describe tombs of huge stones, which is quite logical considering these huge boulders.

It is undoubtedly known that burials were made here, but certainly not for giants, although the word ‘hune’ is synonymous with giant. So how did people in the past come up with the idea that giants were buried here? Quite simply, the burial chamber under the stones is really huge and so people followed this rather adventurous logic at the time.
However, it is now assumed that the bones of many people found a final resting place here and this may explain the size of the burial chamber.

What we do know, however, is that the Alversteen had a completely different significance until 1832:

Due to its elevated position – there used to be no trees here – the grave served as a signpost for shipping. Year after year, the capstone was decorated with a whitewashed cross, making it an important sea mark visible from afar.

This enabled the lookout to shout ‘Caution, gold to starboard’ or, of course, ‘Gold to port’, depending on where the ship was sailing from. As you know, the name of the community here is called ‘Gold’.

Incidentally, the Gold beach is one of the most beautiful on the island. The best thing to do is to go there right away and when the weather is nice and it’s warm enough, then have fun with a wonderful swim in the Baltic Sea.

Taken from the on-site information board:

Community of Landkirchen
- Megalithic tomb -

The prehistoric megalithic tomb was built near the coast on an elevated area. It still consists of four supporting stones of the two long sides and a capstone. An end stone on the narrow side and two flat entrance stones are no longer present. It appears to be an extended dolmen. Such tombs of the Neolithic period (approx. 3500 v. Chr. ) were covered with earth.

The builders were settlers who cleared the naturally grown forest with polished flint axes and settled down on the basis of a rural way of life. In the burial chambers they gave ceramic vessels, amber jewellery and stone tools to their dead.

In the first half of the 19th century, the megalithic tomb served as a signpost for seafarers. The side facing the sea was painted white and a white cross shone on the capstone; the grave was therefore not allowed to be ‘removed’ or ‘mutilated’.

The megalithic tomb has been a listed building since 1979.

Kalköhl 3 (Sprockhoff #220) aka Buschkate 3 consists of three large and two smaller stones. They can be recognised deep in the ground, which do not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the former site. They are said to be the remains of a long bed. The stones are located about ten metres south of the ‘Kaköhl/Buschkate 1’ long barrow.

Visited October 2024

Kalköhl 2 (Sprockhoff #219) aka Buschkate 2 is a – heavily disturbed – burial chamber measuring around seven metres long and four metres wide have been preserved. Several massive capstones and supporting stones are recognisable. The burial mound covering the burial chamber is almost completely missing. The tomb contains a very striking red stone and is located around 30 metres to the west of the long barrow ‘Kaköhl/Buschkate 1’.

Visited October 2024

Kaköhl 1 (Sprockhoff 218) aka Buschkate 1 is the best preserved tomb of the three tombs here. It is a long barrow oriented rougly north-south with a chamber facing the same direction. The length of the slightly trapezoidal barrow is 16 metres. The width is reduced from 8 metres in the north to 5.5 metres in the south. The chamber, measuring 6 x 1.5 metres, has six supporting stones on each side. Four capstones are still present, two are probably missing. The burial mound that once covered the long barrow is almost completely missing.

Visited October 2024

If you drive along the B202 from Kaköhl in the direction of Döhnsdorf, you will see a sign for the megalithic tombs after about 1.5 kilometres. Leave the car here and walk about 400 metres to the tombs, which are very idyllically situated on a hillock. There is an information sign at the site, so you can’t miss it.

Visited October 2024

Taken from the on-site information board:

Community of Blekendorf

- Megalithic tombs Kaköhl – Buschkate –

Tombs of the later Stone Age, built around 2700 – 2500 BC. Best preserved: trapezoidal long barrow with burial chamber. Four of the six capstones as well as six pairs of supporting stones and a capstone are present. The stones west of the long barrow are the remains of a burial chamber, which was once covered by a round mound. The one to the south is, according to ancient tradition, the remains of another long barrow.

The builders of such tombs were Stone Age settlers who used ground flint axes to clear the naturally grown forest with polished flint axes and built on the basis of a farming way of life and economy. In
connection with an unknown mortuary custom ceramic vessels (e.g. funnel beakers, hence the funnel beaker culture), amber jewellery and stone tools were found in the grave chambers.

The tombs were placed under protection in 1967 with an entry in the protected with the entry in the monument register.

Futterkamp 4 is heavily damaged. It is almost completely covered by bushes and therefore difficult to access. Its length can no longer be precisely determined. Only a few scattered stones from the enclosure remain on the south-eastern long side. Only from the south-western long side is it currently possible to reach a small section into the bushes and see the remains of the chamber.

Visited October 2024

Futterkamp 3 (Sprockhoff #206) aka Ruserberg LA6 lies parallel to ‘Futterkamp 2’, so it is also orientated roughly north-east-south-west. The slightly trapezoidal barrow bed is 56 metres long. The width narrows from 5 metres in the north-east to 3.5 metres in the south-west. A large number of the stones are still preserved, but some have been tipped over or blown apart. There is no evidence of a chamber.

Visited October 2024

Futterkamp 2 (Sprockhoff #204) aka Ruserberg LA4 is located immediately to the south-west of Futterkamp 1. It is also orientated roughly north-east to south-west. The enclosure measures 56 x 6 metres. A large number of the stones are still preserved, although some have been tipped over. A chamber is not visible.

Visited October 2024

Futterkamp 1 (Sprockhoff #203) aka Ruserberg LA5 is a 27 x 6 metre long barrow oriented in a north-east-south-west direction. The enclosure stones are largely intact and there are two burial chambers in it. All the supporting stones from the north-eastern chamber are still preserved. Each long side has two supporting stones, one longer and one shorter, with the unequal stones always facing each other. The north-western narrow side has a keystone, while the south-eastern side is only half closed by a narrow stone. Another half-height stone marks the entrance. The chamber measures 2 x 1 metre. The south-western chamber has three supporting stones on the south-western long side and two on the north-eastern side. The keystone in the north-west is also present.

Visited October 2024

The megalithic tombs are signposted from the B202 road. Approx. 200 metres from the B202 you come to a crossroads. Stay on the Fuhlensee road and continue straight ahead. After 600 metres, the road forks and you turn left. The path leads slightly uphill and after approx. 350 metres a field path on the left leads to the graves on the Rusenberg.

Parking is possible here.

Visited October 2024

Taken from the on-site information board:

Community of Blekendorf

- Long Barrows “Ruserberg” -

Burial sites from the later Stone Age; built around 2700 -8500 BC. Of originally at least nine sites, these three long barrows lying close together with lengths between 30m and 60m have been preserved and are now listed as historical monuments, as is one tomb each north-east and south-west (not marked).

The largest ‘giant bed’ was surrounded by over 100 stones. Two burial chambers are visible in the small site, whose capstones are missing today.

The first peasant population of Schleswig- HoIstein practised agriculture and cattle breeding and built these graves, which belong to the so-called funnel beaker culture. They buried their dead in the stone chambers of the long barrows. The burial objects for the deceased ceramic vessels, amber beads and stone implements were common.

Gramtitz 1 (aka Starrvitz) is a trapezoidal long barrow oriented roughly east-west. The mound has a length of 40 metres and tapers towards the east. Only a few stones are visible from enclosure, others are obviously missing, some more may still be hidden in the mound. In the western part of the mound there is probably still the completely preserved chamber, which lies transversal to the enclosure.

The grave is located about 500 metres behind Gramtitz on the left side of the road in a hill overgrown with bushes and trees directly in front of a field path branching off to the south and cannot be missed. Unfortunately, the site is quite overgrown, so that details can only be guessed at. Therefore, a visit may be more worthwhile in autumn/winter.

Visited June 2021

Sassnitz-Waldhalle 2 is a grand dolmen. Only three pairs of supporting stone and the end stone in the east are preserved. The entrance was probably to the west. The chamber measures about 3.50 x 1.70 metres. There are some stones scatterd around the tomb, which are probably remains of capstones.

The tomb is located northeast of Sassnitz in the middle of the Jasmund National Park. To get to the tomb start at the UNESCO World Heritage Forum Waldhalle. Take the road to the west until you came to a three way crossing. Take the left track which after 250 m first leads in a wide curve around a hill. Sassnitz-Waldhalle 2 is on the top of this hill and is hidden under dense ferns.

Visited June 2021

The chamber of the megalithic tomb Sassnitz-Waldhalle 1 is oriented east-west and measures approx. 4 x 1.30 metres. The long sides each have three supporting stones. The endstone on the west side is also present. On the eastern narrow side, where the entrance was apparently located, there is a half-height stone. Two of the original three capstones lie on top. The site has presumably been reconstructed, because when Sprockhoff took his recordings in 1931, the capstones were still lying next to the chamber. A few individual stones around the chamber probably represent remains of an enclosure.

The tomb is located northeast of Sassnitz in the middle of the Jasmund National Park. To get to the tomb start at the UNESCO World Heritage Forum Waldhalle. Take the road to the west until you came to a three way crossing. Take the left track which after 250 m first leads in a wide curve around a hill with the tomb Sassnitz-Waldhalle 2. After about 600 m from the crossing you’ll find a sign for Sassnitz-Waldhalle 1 on the right hand side, which lies about 50 m from the track in the forest.

Visited June 2021

taken from the on-site display board:

Megalithic tomb at the Waldhalle

At about 50 metres lies a megalithic tomb from the Neolithic period. During this time, man gradually began to settle down and raise livestock.
The megalithic tombs were built from 3,500 BC in the Funnel Beaker Culture. On Rügen, the typical construction of megalithic tombs is a grand dolmen. A grand dolmen consists of a burial chamber and a mound bed. In this case, the burial chamber consisted of three yokes. A yoke is composed of two supporting stones and a capstone lying on top of them, which are built up like a gate. The burial chamber is enclosed by stones. This forms the mound bed, which can be angular, round or oval.

In the Funnel Beaker Culture, typical grave goods were pottery sherds and stone artefacts, such as axes, arrowheads, hatchets, shavers and scrapers. As a special feature, amber beads were added. There were repeated reburials in the graves, and the existing resting places were also used from the Bronze Age to the Slavic period.

The megalithic tomb at the Waldhalle is about 5,000 years old. No excavations were carried out. The burial chamber of the grand dolmen is in good condition, which is rather rare. Three quarters of the Megalithic tombs have been destroyed in recent years. The stones were mostly used as building material by the so-called “stone beaters”.

Dwasieden is grand dolmen with a trapezoidal long barrow oriented in a southwest-northeast direction (35 m long and 12.5 or 7.5 m wide). Towards the north-east, the enclosure becomes narrower and the stones smaller. The two large guardian stones at the south-western end are striking, but one of them has fallen over. The burial chamber at right angles to the mound bed, with its extremely rare entrance and porch to the west, is well preserved and has three pairs of supporting stones. The south-eastern endstone is also present. The entrance is clearly visible and lies on the north-western side. Two of the original three capstones lie on top, the middle one is shattered. Parts of this capstone were used for a reconstruction of the long sides of the chamber.

Dwasieden is one of the most beautiful megalithic tombs on Rügen, which makes it all the more incomprehensible that it is not signposted and no one seems to be taking care of it. So it is quite overgrown, at least in summer.

To get to the tomb, drive on the L29 road from Sassnitz to Mukran / Prora. About 750 m after you leave Sassnitz, there is a small road on the left with a sign for the golf course of Sassnitz. After 850 m you come to a kind of building yard, park here and proceed on this road for about 280 m by feet. Turn left here and walk on the edge of the fields until you come to a footpath which leads to the tomb.

Visited June 2021

About 1 km northeast of the car park of the Stubbenkammer (Königsstuhl) visitor centre in Hagen are two megalithic graves, of which Hagen-Stublitz 1 (aka Pfenniggrab) is the better preserved and well-known grave. Both can be easily reached when visiting the Stubbenkammer Visitor Centre.

Visited June 2021