1: "Dreimarkstein" and other stones

Who can spot a large, upright boulder with the inscription "Zum stillen Gedenken" 1 under a stately tree of life?

There is a memorial stone from the Second World War at the south-west corner of the barbecue area.

Why is there such a memorial stone here?

The memorial stone commemorates the last battles of the Second World War in the Dobel area. It is April 11, 1945: German soldiers traveling in a captured US jeep come across the 4th Company of the 1st Paratrooper "Choc" Battalion, an elite French commando unit, reinforced with US Sherman tanks near the Dreimarkstein. When they recognize the German soldiers, the French immediately shoot at the occupants jumping from their jeep.

They are: Konrad Ruopp, an unknown soldier with the identification tag A 4133, Paul Griasch, Walter Häussler and Georg Balmer, who came from Alsace. The five soldiers were found on April 12, 1945, buried here a day later and later reburied. "Unhappy is the land that needs heroes" (Bertolt Brecht).

What rock is the boulder made of?

Small quartz pebbles embedded in the sandstone 2 below the inscription prove that it is a boulder sandstone.

Who discovers the "Dreimarkstein"?

Why is the stone called the "Dreimarkstein"?

Near here, three districts border on each other: Dobel, Dennach (today the town of Neuenbürg) and Feldrennach (today the municipality of Straubenhardt). However, this stone is a historical marker for more important roads and not a real boundary stone. It stood about 400 m north of here and has unfortunately disappeared.

Who can find a small stone with the inscription "Leimenloch" 3 next to the "Dreimarkstein"?

What is the function of this stone?

The stone is a forestry marker for forest section no. 33 "Leimenloch", which begins here.

What is a Leimenloch?

"Leimen" means clay, a hole is a pit, i.e. a clay pit.

What is loam?

In the vernacular, loam means clay-rich material.

What was the clay used for?

Above all, potters (manufacturers of pottery made from clay) needed clay-rich material to make all kinds of vessels. But bricks were also fired from clay-rich material.

And finally, the compartments of half-timbered houses were filled with a mixture of clay and straw.

Why is there clay here?

The clay-rich material comes from mudstones. They can be found from time to time between almost all sandstones of the Buntsandstein formation, but are mainly found in the Plattensandstein formation. Their weathered remains slipped here at the end of the last glacial period in the thawing ground above the still frozen permafrost (Station 11).

Which indicator plant points to clay-rich material?

It is coltsfoot 4 (Tussilago farfara), which flowers in early spring. Its leaves only appear after the flowers have already disappeared. The Latin name of this medicinal plant refers to its beneficial effects on coughs.

Cross the L 340 country road. Then follow the "Hüttwaldweg", which branches off to the right and is marked with a red diamond, on one of the most famous Black Forest hiking trails for around 850 meters in the direction of "Großer Volzemer Stein" until you reach a refuge.

A grassy forest path leads past the hut on the right. Follow this as a detour until you reach a long left-hand bend.