Haus der Geschichte exhibits Rhine hunger stone

The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn has added a new exhibit to its ‘Today’ section: a ‘Hungerstein’ (hunger stone) recovered from the Rhine river. These stones emerge only during periods of extreme low water levels and are traditionally inscribed by local residents with years to mark droughts, a practice believed to date back to the Middle Ages.

The recovered stone, which is approximately half a meter long and weighs at least 50 kilograms, features the date ‘3. 8. 1973’, the year ‘2026’, and the letters ‘E’ and ‘H’. Museum staff member Lotta Westdorf and a colleague retrieved the stone from the riverbed near the Wupper mouth in Leverkusen.

While it remains unclear whether these stones are natural or placed there to maintain the tradition, the recent emergence follows historic low water levels in the Rhine. Other stones, including one marked with the year 1959, were also noted at the site.