Champ-Dolent Menhir, Dol-de-Bretagne, France

The menhir, or upright standing stone, of Champ Dolent is the largest standing stone in Brittany. It is located in a field outside the town of Dol-de-Bretagne, and is nearly 9 meters high. The stone was taken from a site 4 kilometers away. It has a smaller polished stone at its base.

It is not precisely dated, but recent scholarship suggests that Brittany's menhirs were erected c. 5000-4000 BC.

According to legend, the menhir fell from the skies to separate two feuding brothers who were on the point of killing each other. This legend is said to account for the name "Champ Dolent" which means "Field of Sorrow". In reality, the word dolent is more likely to derive from Breton dolenn ("meadow").

Another legend states that the menhir is slowly sinking into the ground, and the world will end when it disappears altogether.

According to tradition, in the year 560 Chlothar I, King of the Franks, is said to have met his rebel son, Chram, here.

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Wikipedia

Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg

The Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg is situated in a strategic area on a rocky spur overlooking the Upper Rhine Plain, it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War when it was abandoned. From 1900 to 1908 it was rebuilt at the behest of the German kaiser Wilhelm II. Today it is a major tourist site, attracting more than 500,000 visitors a year.

The first records of a castle built by the Hohenstaufens date back to 1147. The fortress changed its name to Koenigsburg (royal castle) around 1157. The castle was handed over to the Tiersteins by the Habsburgs following its destruction in 1462. They rebuilt and enlarged it, installing a defensive system designed to withstand artillery fire.

The fortification work accomplished over the 15th century did not suffice to keep the Swedish artillery at bay during the Thirty Years War, and the defences were overrun.

Noah Melis (2 years ago)
Great men here. The stone is nice too!

Kees Stolker (2 years ago)
It's not much, but it is very old. There is a sign explaining the history. Voor for a quick visit if you are passing anyway.

Bram Groenen (2 years ago)
More like Mêh-nir ?

Tomáš Jevočin (2 years ago)
Yep, it's a big rock. Very nice one though.

Graeme Stewart (3 years ago)
Super wee spot to stop and admire this neolithic Menhir

Champ-Dolent Menhir

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Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg