Due to the drought in Germany, historic famine stones have emerged from the water — Der Spiegel

In Germany, due to the prolonged drought and low river levels, the so-called “famine stones”—historical markers left during years of particularly severe drought—have reemerged from beneath the water.

One such stone is located on the banks of the Elbe near Pirna. More than 20 dates are engraved on it, the earliest of which is 1707. The most recent mark was made in 2018, when the river’s water level also dropped to historically low levels.

According to the State Flood Center, the Elbe’s water level near Pirna has not exceeded one meter for quite some time. In Dresden, it stands at about 54 centimeters.

The “hunger stones” were used as a kind of historical marker of drought. In the past, their emergence above the water’s surface often served as a warning of difficult conditions for navigation and agriculture.

Der Spiegel reports on this.

As a reminder, record-low water levels in the Danube due to severe drought have exposeddozens of sunken German ships from World War II. On the Serbian-Romanian border, in the middle of the river on a sandbar that is usually submerged, the wreckage of one of the ships’ hulls became visible.