Nucleus

This is the northern of the two tombs. Since there are hardly any structures to be recognized by the underbrush, moss-grown and the strong vegetation growth, here is the description from the German Wikipedia:

This site is very similar to the other one (Holte-Lastrup 1). The burial chamber is northeast-southwest oriented and originally also had four pairs of wall stones on the long sides, two end stones and four capstones. According to Sprockhoffs reconstruction drawing it might also be a grand dolmee. In situ, only three wall stones of the northwestern and two of the southeastern long side are preserved. Inside the chamber are two broken into several fragments capstones.

Visited July 2018

This is the southern of the two tombs. Since there are hardly any structures to be recognized by the underbrush and the strong vegetation growth, here is the description from the German Wikipedia:

The tomb has an east-west oriented chamber, which is probably a grand dolmen. In its original condition, it is said to have possessed four pairs of wall stones on the long sides, one endstone each on the narrow sides and four capstones. When Ernst Sprockhoff documented the tomb in 1927, he found the western endstone, two adjoining wall stones of the north and three adjacent wall stones of the south side standing in situ. The western capstone is broken, but is still on the wall stones. The remaining three capstones are broken inside the chamber. A recent documentation has shown that the two eastern wall stones of the north side, which were assumed to be missing by Sprockhoff, are still present.

Visited July 2018

Both graves are badly damaged and hard to find. A visit is really worthwhile only if you have already visited all the other tombs in this area. In addition, you should visit the tombs rather in winter because of the strong growth of underbrush, a GPS device is absolutely necessary.

According to Wikipedia a third tomb originally located near these two sites was destroyed in the 19th century.

To find the two tombs, drive southward on the K267 from Lahden to Lastrup. About 1.8km behind Lahden turn left into Clemenskoppel and continue on this road for about 670m, until you come to junction and the fields end on the left side of the road. Park here and take the forest track, which goes in southeast direction. Walk for about 200m, both tombs are left of this track, opposite of a pond. Good luck!

Visited July 2018

Like Lahn 3 Herßum has the same kind of information board, is at least partially signposted, but it has become overgrown in the meantime, because nobody seems to care for the place anymore, which is a pity. Possibly because both sites are not part of the Route of Megalithic Culture or are a bit off the beaten track. Herßum is listed (No 19) in Mamoun Fansa’s book “Großsteingräber zwischen Weser und Ems” (ISBN 978-3-89995-626-9, 2009), so it seems that the tomb once had a greater significance.

I think the “official” signposted approach to reach the site is to drive from Holte-Lastrup on the L55 towards Herßum. After about 500m behind Holte-Lastrup turn left into Ahmsener Kirchweg, which turns northeast into a dirt road. Either drive or walk on this dirt road, first are fields left and right of the way, later forest is left hand of the way. After about 430m a signposted beaten track leads northwest into the forest, follow this track and you’ll reach the site in about 500m. I missed to turn left into Ahmsener Kirchweg and turned left the next possibility at a farm, turned left after additional 400m and arrived from the other direction.

The tomb is remarkably large and east-west oriented. The site is about 20 meters long and 7m wide, the burial chamber is about 15m long and varies from 2m in the middle to about 1.5m to both ends. Twelve capstones are still present, but all have sunk into the chamber or relocated. Only a few support stones are still in their original positions. The chamber was surrounded by an oval enclosure and lies on a small sandy elevation.

Visited July 2018

Although Lahn 3 is signposted from the road between Lahn and Wehm and although there is an information board, nobody seems to care about the site anymore. Nature demands the place back, which was occupied by the tomb for more than 5.000 years. The chamber (17.5 x 1.6 m) in an elongated mound is heavily destroyed, only single stones are preserved.

To find the site drive from Lahn to Wehn, turn left right before the forest (signposted). After about 120m a small forest track leads to the tomb, which is 80m into the wood.

Visited July 2018

taken from the information display:

The oldest and at the same time the most impressive monuments of Lower Saxony are the neolithic megalithic tombs. While today in Lower Saxony about 400 mostly only incompletely preserved tombs are known, the number of originally existing tombs was many times higher.

The extensive destruction is almost entirely due to human intervention in the last two centuries. For example, blocks of boulders, often weighing several tons, were used as building material completely or blasted for house foundations, walls, churches, roads, bridges, dykes, etc., and some were even negotiated in neighboring countries.

The scale of the destruction also illustrates the megalithic tomb Lahn (see Figures 1 and 2) of which there are only a few stones in their original position and a large part has disappeared. The rather large burial chamber, which lay in an elongated hill, had approximately 17.5 x 1.6 m internal dimensions after the reconstruction (Figure 2).

The predominantly ceramic funerary objects (cups, bowls and funnel cups, Figure 3) date the megalithic tombs into the funnel beaker culture (3500 – 2000 BC), in a later section (about 2300 – 2000 BC) of this Neolithic agricultural (single crown, emmer, dwarf wheat, barley) and cattle breeding (cattle, swine, goat, sheep) culture.

Settlement sites of the funnel beaker culture have not yet been fully investigated, but some house plans give hints to the residential buildings of that time. For example, in Wittenwater, district of Uelzen, the post pits of a 15,6 x 6 m house (Figure 4) were discovered, which was divided into several rooms and on the southern side of which a grain millstone was found and possibly a small (grain?) storage.

taken from the on site infromation board:

In the dune terrain, “Im großen Sande” is a pretty impressive megalithic tomb, which was built in a younger section of the Neolithic period (about 2300 to 1800 BC) and was used for generations.

From his blueprint, this megalithic tomb presents the typical “Emsland chambes” that are widespread in the area between the Dutch province of Drenthe in the west and the Weser in the east, which are very different from megalithic tombs in other regions: the burial chamber in east-west orientation is very long and consists of the juxtaposition of several components, the so-called yokes, each consisting of two opposing support stones and an overlying capstone. Here in Herßum there are 12 such yokes forming the 20-meter-long chamber. It is worth noting that the width of the chamber tapers from the middle to both ends: the clear width decreases from 2 meters in the middle to only 1.5 meters at the ends. Usually these chambers could be entered through a small corridor in the middle of the southern longitudinal wall, but no stones have survived from this passage. In a very narrow oval arch a stone enclosure surrounds the megalithic tomb, of which only 10 stones have been preserved. There are also a few stones missing from the existing 29 supporting stones; only a total of 6 stones are in their original place. All 12 capstones have slipped off the support stones and are inside the chamber. The absence of stones is due to explosions for the extraction of building materials in the 18th century and 19th century; in Herßum – it is said – such explosions took place in the years 1864/65. The megalithic tombs were used by a rural population over generations as burial places or ossuaries. The Neolithic people lived in village communities, where they lived in small ground-level post houses. Floor plans of such houses could be discovered during excavations in Heede and Groß Berßen. Cereals of this time were emmer, einkorn and barley. The grain stocks were stored in small storage tanks, which were probably raised to protect against vermin. Stone axes and hatchets were used for clearing forests and for woodworking. Their wooden stalks naturally did not survive in the soil. The pottery was thin-walled and well baked. As an ornament, geometric patterns had been inserted into the still unfired clay. Among the various shapes of vessels, the cup with high funnel-shaped edge is worth mentioning, which gave its name to the archaeological culture of that time: funnel beaker culture. Figure 1 shows vessels and stone axes and hatchets of this culture. In addition to agriculture and livestock, hunting continued to play a role. A variety of flint arrowheads, as shown in Figure 2, were attached to arrow shafts and were effective weapons, as shot tests have shown.

The megalithic tombs as a monumental grave architecture of this time are under the protection of the Lower Saxony Heritage Protection Law and must not be damaged.

In the forest area Fuhrenkamp, about 800m southwest of Oldendorfer Hünensteine three megalithic tombs are close together. However, all three are heavily destroyed, so that a visit is not worthwhile. Also, all three are hard to find because they are off the beaten path and you have to fight through the undergrowth to get to them. I strongly recommend to visit the tombs only with a GPS device.

Park at the B213 between Löningen and Lastrup, it is the same car park as for visting Oldendorfer Hünensteine . Walk southwest (towards Löningen) for about 275m, cross the B213 and then follow the wide forest path that leads north into the forest. After about 200m, the path forks for the first time, after 125m again, take the left path in each case. After additional 150m you have to look for noticeable hills in the woods to the right and left of the path.

During my visit, it started to rain heavily, mosquitoes came from everywhere, my pants were soaking wet due to the strong soil growth within a short time and to make matters worse, my cell phone reported that my car with all my valuables was not closed (which fortunately turned out as a false notification) and I couldn’t locked it remotely. Those are the moments where one wonders why one takes all the effort for three unremarkable megalithic tombs.

Visited July 2018

Fuhrenkamp 3 is better preserved than the other two tombs and lies south of them. Although this tomb is also heavily overgrown, one can still recognize that it must have been a chamber.

Visited July 2018

The tomb is only a few steps east of Fuhrenkamp 1. On a small hill, only four boulders are visible the remains of an approximately east-west oriented chamber.

Visited July 2018

The tomb is heavily destroyed, there are only single boulders which are lying on a hill around. Because of this finding Sprockhoff came to no clear reconstruction of the original appearance. Two burial chambers in a hill bank and an elongated burial chamber are possible.

Visited July 2018

Lahn 2 is a heavily damaged megalithic tomb. There are only 4 stones left, where the actual tomb is no longer recognizable. Two of them might be supporting stones, one is a capstone and the fourth can not be clearly assigned.

To find the tomb drive from Lahn to Wehm and turn left into the field track Ginsterweg, just before a farm. At the end of the farm you turn right from the road, between the farm and the field. Shortly before the next property the tomb lies left in the woods.

Visited July 2018