Places and their stories
The Tumulus of Evessen
Landscapes have their history and stories, and sometimes the emotions evoked by a place already let you guess a part of them. If you drive through Evessen in northern Germany, you will notice a single eerie looking tree on a mound in the center of the small village. If you choose to stop and have a closer look, you will notice a lot of old nails hammered into this tree.
The mound is a late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age tumulus. Nobody knows the exact date for sure, as no excavations were undertaken. But similar mounds in the vicinity fall into this period, some 3000 years ago. Many of these mounds were destroyed at some point as they hindered agriculture and road construction. That the one in Evessen remained and that the 800 year old tree still stands on top of it has a particular reason. During the Middle Ages, judgements were delivered on that hill. The nails are also part of the story of the place. They are „witch nails“, said to harm someone who cursed you…
