The Hunger Stone

If you are in the mood for a leisurely stroll, head to the Hunger Stone in Děčín, one of the oldest hydrological monuments in Central Europe.

The Hunger Stone (Hungerstein in German) is located in the Elbe riverbed on the left bank under the Tyrš Bridge. You can see the rock during the dry months when the water level is low and it rises above the river. It was meant to remind people of the times of hardship in the past, when there was a lack of water, crops and also sources of livelihood for boatmen. The period of hardship also signified a shortage of imported salt.

People carved into this rock formation markers with years and also inscriptions testifying to low water levels. The oldest legible record dates back to 1616. Of the inscriptions, it is worth mentioning in particular the most distinct and meaningful old German "Wenn du mich siehst, dann weine" (If you see me, cry) and also a younger Czech inscription which advises "Don't cry, girl, don't moan, when it is dry, spray the fields".

As a consequence of the construction of the Vltava dams, the rock formation appeared much more frequently after 1926 than before. Currently, it is visible on an average of 126 days in a normal hydrological year. If the construction of the water stage below Děčín is completed (efforts for this solution date back to 1653), this rock formation will be under water "forever" and thus, according to legend, there will be a permanent time of prosperity.

Due to the extreme drought of recent years, another Hunger Stone was also discovered near Těchlovice.