<< Our Photo Pages >> Siebensteinhäuser (Grab C) - Chambered Tomb in Germany in Lower Saxony, Bremen
Submitted by Klingon on Wednesday, 19 February 2014 Page Views: 5663
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Siebensteinhäuser (Grab C) Alternative Name: Sprockhoff 808, OberndorfmarkCountry: Germany Land: Lower Saxony, Bremen Type: Chambered Tomb
Nearest Town: Bad Fallingbostel Nearest Village: Ostenholz
Latitude: 52.800790N Longitude: 9.796740E
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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External Links:
I have visited· I would like to visit
DrewParsons would like to visit
CharcoalBurner89 visited on 26th Dec 2021 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 3 Access: 4 It is best to visit the 'Siebensteinhäuser' on Lower Saxony / German public holidays. The identity card is to be carried. As the megalithic tombs are located in a restricted military area, visits are only permitted at certain times that can be viewed on the Internet (here, too, there may be deviations!). I made the visit between Christmas and New Year, as there are usually no military maneuvers at this time.
johnstone visited on 14th Sep 2019 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4
Klingon visited on 19th Sep 2004 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 3 Access: 4
Martin_L maddy have visited here
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 4 Ambience: 3.33 Access: 4
This can be explained by the typical german use of the word 'seven'
for 'a lot', even today some might say 'Meine sieben Sachen' (My seven things) for 'all of my things' or 'a lot of my things'.
The five tombs are very close together, the biggest distance (Tomb A and E) is just under 200m. The area belonged to the village of Oberndorfmark, until in 1934 the Nazies planned to establish a military training area as part of the military re-armament of the German Reich.
Text edited by holger_rix, April 2010. To quote Wikipedia:
Due to the sparse population and the varied landscape this area was selected for creating the largest exercise area for Germany's armed forces, the Wehrmacht.
In spite of opposition from the local population, within a few years 3,635
inhabitants in 25 villages had to leave their homes.
The area is in military use up until today, the Bergen-Hohne Training Area
(German: Truppenübungsplatz Bergen-Hohne) is a NATO military training area.
The only public access route to the dolmens begins at a barrier in Ostenholz,
about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) southeast of the Walsrode autobahn interchange.
The access road runs for several kilometres through the out-of-bounds area
of the military training area. It is regularly cleared of any spent ammunition
from the ranges. The site is only accessible on days when no exercises are
taking place i.e. at weekends and on public holidays between 8 am and 6 pm.
More Quotes from Wikipedia:
The Sieben Steinhäuser gravesite was established around 2500 BC during the
neolithic funnelbeaker period by the first settled farmers.
The large gravesite, Grave D, shows similarities to French gravesites,
the other four are like those of the Elbe-Weser Triangle.
Although they are traditionally called the Sieben Steinhäusern
("seven stone houses") there are actually only five graves.
Because an old illustration from 1744 still shows only five graves,
it is assumed today, that the number seven is being used in the figurative
sense for a larger number, as in the German expression sieben Sachen
("seven things") which means 'everything'. The first written record of
the graves was made in 1720 by an academic.
The regional author, August Freudenthal, contributed to their fame in the
19th century. Even then it was a popular tourist destination.
Description of the graves
The burial chambers are all rectangular and aligned in a northeast-southwest
direction. Their capstones are not of bay construction, but almost always
supported by three or four points of contact. The largest of the dolmens
has a capstone measuring 16 by 14 feet (c. 5 m by 4¼ m) and is supported
by seven upright support stones.
All the graves were originally covered with earth, so that they would
looked like earth mounds or tumuli. Over the course of time the earth was
eroded by wind and weather, so that the stones became visible again.
Four graves were excavated and restored between 1924 and 1937.
In 1958 the graves were enclosed by protective earthen walls several
metres high. They protect the gravesites from shell damage, because
the site is located in the middle of a military training area.
Grave C
The relatively short chamber of Grave C consists of three supporting stones
on the southeast and four on the northwest side as well as two end stones and
three capstones. Before restoration only the northeastern three-point support,
the centre of the three supporting stones on the southeast side and the
southwestern end stone were found in situ. Two capstones probably caved in
under their own weight when their supports were dislodged.
The internal dimensions of the chamber are 5 x 2 m.
The outside entrance appears to have been located between the first and centre
support stones to the south of the southeastern side of the chamber.
Original text:
Part of a collection of five Chambered Tombs inside a military training area. Opened only at the weekend and public holidays from 8:00 to 18:00, except on military training days.
Note: One of the central orthostats along the long edge collapsed at the end of December 2013. This caused capstone C2 to fall. The previous precarious state is visible in some of our recent photos. The fall was probably caused by people climbing on the stones.
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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
40m NE 45° Siebensteinhäuser (Grab E)* Chambered Tomb
44m E 95° Siebensteinhäuser (Grab D)* Chambered Tomb
55m SSW 198° Siebensteinhäuser (Grab B)* Chambered Tomb
160m SSW 204° Siebensteinhäuser (Grab A)* Chambered Tomb
8.4km W 274° Krelingen Steingrab* Chambered Tomb
9.7km NW 318° Megalithpark Osterberg* Sculptured Stone
10.3km NW 319° Museum Archaeologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V* Museum
13.5km E 81° Wohlde Hügelgräberfeld* Barrow Cemetery
14.5km NW 308° Hünenburg bei Bomlitz* Misc. Earthwork
14.8km NW 309° Archäologischer Wanderpfad Bomlitz* Museum
15.1km NW 311° Hügelgräberfeld Lohheide* Barrow Cemetery
15.7km E 80° Siddernhausen Grosssteingrab* Chambered Tomb
15.8km NW 314° Hügelgräberfeld von Benefeld* Barrow Cemetery
19.3km ENE 69° Bonstorf Graeberfeld* Barrow Cemetery
22.7km NNW 337° Hügelgräberfeld Gilkenheide* Barrow Cemetery
24.6km NNW 338° Hügelgräberfeld am Höllenberg* Barrow Cemetery
27.4km SE 136° Bomann Museum für Volkskunde* Museum
34.8km NW 312° Hügelgrab bei Kirchwalsede* Round Barrow(s)
35.0km WNW 294° Kirchlinteln Graeberfeld* Barrow Cemetery
35.2km WNW 295° Rinnenstein von Kirchlinteln* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature
35.4km NW 317° Hügelgräber bei Riekenbostel* Barrow Cemetery
35.5km NNW 333° Lustberg* Round Barrow(s)
35.6km WNW 295° Rillenstein von Kirchlinteln* Sculptured Stone
37.2km WSW 240° Hügelgräberfeld bei Stöckse* Barrow Cemetery
37.4km NNE 18° Behringer Hügelgräberheide* Barrow Cemetery
View more nearby sites and additional images
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Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.