Hunger stone - Wikipedia
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A hunger stone (German: Hungerstein) is a type of hydrological landmark common in Central Europe.

These stones were carved during droughts to mark the water level as a warning to future generations that they will have to endure famine-related hardships if the water sinks to this level again. One famous example in the Elbe river in Děčín, Czech Republic, has “Wenn du mich siehst, dann weine” (“If you see me, then weep”) carved into it as a warning.[1]

  • Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    41·
    9 days ago

    Little did they know that a few hundred years later the meaning has changed to:
    “If you see me each year, you screwed up.”

  • Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    34·
    9 days ago

    A slightly less dreadful Hungerstein story:

    I looked up the nearest Hungerstein to my hometown, a few km down the river (in Traben-Trarbach at the river Moselle).

    It had no inscriptions, but the inhabitants of the town made a kind of event out of its infrequent appearance starting from the mid 19th century:

    They entombed a bottle of wine in it during each draught, to be ceremoniously retrieved the next time the Hungerstein showed up again and exchanged for a new one.

    This fits somehow, as the people of my home region have a talent to find obscure reasons to throw parties…

      • Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        2·
        9 days ago

        The historic database I consulted didn’t tell.

        Apart from the 1942 incident, when the bath supervisor of the town (accidentally?) discovered the tiny chamber in the rock (during a high water period), found the bottle of wine put there during the 1920 draught and tasted it.

        But given that Traben-Trarbach around 1900 was one of the largest wine trading centers in Europe (second only to Bordeaux), I guess that each inhabitant got its share of wine during the celebration… :-)

  • naught101@lemmy.worldEnglish
    25·
    9 days ago

    Damn, that’s cool history, thanks for sharing!

    I found this in a similar vein not too long ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunami_stone

    A tsunami stone is a type of stone monument found in Japan that warns people to move upwards after a large earthquake to avoid a potential tsunami. Some simply provide this warning, while others list death tolls, are placed near mass graves or say where homes should be built. They have a flat face and some are as high as 3.0 metres (10 ft) tall. Some are over 600 years old and some have aged so much that the characters written on them have disappeared. Most were placed in about 1896 after an earthquake and two tsunamis that year caused about 22,000 deaths. The tsunami stone in Aneyoshi says: “High dwellings are the peace and harmony of our descendants. … Remember the calamity of the great tsunamis. Do not build any homes below this point.”

    • Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      11·
      9 days ago

      Well, the numbers for 2026 are not in yet…

      And given the fact that basically all the rivers here have reached record breaking lows, often by huge margins, the new observation count might be interesting…

  • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
    2·
    9 days ago

    These stones were carved during droughts to mark the water level as a warning to future generations that they will have to endure famine-related hardships if the water sinks to this level again.

    Pumped irrigation from aquifers at a sustainable rate!

    https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/EGU26-1948.html?pdf

    We present the technical design, operational testing, and hydrogeochemical assessment of a stormwater-based MAR pilot site implemented in November 2024 in Hüll (Hallertau region, Bavaria, Germany), an area characterized by intensive agriculture, recurrent local flooding, and strong groundwater demand for irrigation. The MAR system combines a stormwater retention basin for buffering flash-flood dynamics, treatment units, and recharge via an infiltration well targeting a highly heterogeneous Tertiary aquifer.

    Initial results demonstrate robust system performance under variable stormwater conditions. The treatment units effectively reduce suspended solids and pesticide concentrations, enabling controlled recharge while minimizing risks to groundwater quality. Beyond quantitative water resource augmentation, the scheme shows potential qualitative benefits for agricultural groundwater systems.