Literally getting old - mounds and megalithic tombs near Lohmen

Friday, 06 December 2024 00:00
Written by Portal Editor

During our stay in Lohmen we had already undertaken a few hikes in the area, now we wanted to go to the megalithic tomb and the mound of Groß Upahl, also in the hope of finding more well-kept or more easily recognizable megalithic tombs here.

An important point when you are promoting hiking tourism, because everyone likes to have an interesting stopover to take a little break. Let's start with a few explanations:

Megalithic tombs - origins and cultural-historical significance

The people living in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania during the Neolithic period built mighty grave monuments for the deceased members of their families, as in many parts of northern Germany and as far as England.

These still form striking components of the cultural landscape today. In the flat northern German areas, they often look like mountains or rocks and are unmistakable landmarks (which we unfortunately cannot confirm for the graves near Lohmen).

After people had given up their traditional way of life as hunters, fishermen and gatherers at the beginning of the 4th millennium BC, had settled down and increasingly practiced livestock farming and agriculture, they began to build megalithic tombs around 3500 BC.

Within a few centuries, well over 1000 structures of this type were built in what is now Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The oldest megalithic tombs in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania contained only a small burial chamber consisting of four wall stones and a capstone. It was covered with a round mound of earth or small field stones. It is believed that only the heads of the family were buried in these structures, generally known as dolmens, while the other people were laid to rest in simple earth graves.

The architecture of megalithic tombs was continually developed

Over the centuries, the architecture of megalithic tombs was continually developed and its function expanded. The central burial chamber became larger and larger (extended dolmen, large dolmen) and could easily take up 20 to 30 m2 of floor space.

The chamber was covered by a mound of earth or surrounded by a rectangular stone setting filled with earth. There could also be several burial chambers in a megalithic bed. As a rule, a lockable corridor made of stone blocks led to the burial chamber. This is why such structures are often referred to as passage graves.

When examining the younger megalithic tombs, the remains of several people were repeatedly discovered, making it clear that men, women and children were buried here equally and side by side.

Megalithic tombs are therefore generally interpreted as collective graves of a family, clan or settlement community. It has not yet been conclusively clarified whether the respective burial chamber was opened every time a person died, or whether the dead were initially buried in simple earth graves and later reburied in the passage graves as part of special rites.

Megalithic tombs have greatly stimulated people's imagination since the Middle Ages. The considerable weight of the mighty blocks of stone in particular led to people assuming that they were the work of the devil or had been built by witches, trolls or giants. Myths and legends have been handed down about numerous megalithic tombs.

Groups of well-preserved megalithic tombs have been preserved mainly in forest areas and on clay soils. Examples include the Visbeker Bräutigam and Visbeker Braut graves near Ahlhorn in Lower Saxony, mighty megalithic tombs.

Tour description from Lohmen via Garden to Klein Upahl

Our starting point today is the village square with the church, right next to the restored 3-sided rectory with its barns, which also houses the tourist information. We had a conversation with the responsible marketing manager, in which the megalithic tombs were also a topic. But more on that later.

From the village square in Lohmen we then went through the forest towards the health clinic, then further towards the campsite, both locations are well signposted. Before the campsite we reach the shore of Lake Garder, which we follow for a few kilometres. At the Inselhof stud farm we reach the Garden settlement, where there is a sharp bend to the right, which we follow. A little further on we reach a sign for the Garder Mill, a seductive name that we also fell for once: we had not found a mill. However, we had taken the opportunity to walk around Lake Garder.

We stay on the asphalt or concrete track up to this point and follow the signs to Lake Lähnwitz, which we circle halfway around. Here a forest path turns off to the right, which we follow. It is interesting along the forest path at Lake Lähnwitz that the forest here is mainly made up of deciduous trees such as beech and oak, rather than the otherwise reforested spruce trees. Especially now in autumn, there is a wonderful display of colours through which the sun breaks. A little later we reach our destination and are once again disappointed by the condition. The rock formations are barely recognizable, even the explanatory signs are old and barely legible. A real shame!

Well, as is so often the case, the journey is the destination. We have once again experienced how cultural assets are treated here in the country, which is in stark contrast to the goals of tourism, especially if you favour cycling and hiking.

We choose the forest path on the other side of Lake Lähnwitz, which then leads to Nirvana. Suddenly it ends and you need a good sense of direction, or modern technology! Parallel to the lake shore, we go over a wet meadow until we reach the forest again. Here there are real roads again that lead us back to the paved shore road of Lake Garder.