As a blistering European summer starts to slide towards a winter that inflation and fuel shortages could render lethally unforgiving European thoughts can wander to worrying about the future it wouldn't be the first time – as the continent's "hunger stones" attest Hungersteine are hydrologically-hidden surprises: messages carved on low-lying rocks but exposed in times of drought – an ancient harbinger of hunger via restricted navigation Usually denoted with the drought year and often the carver's name or initials these fluvial finds are warnings from history concentrated in Germany but also in parts of Czechia UK woman's search for missing Chinese father Europe's cost-of-living crisis Berlin's historic gas lamps under threat the Rhine and its tributaries the Moselle and the Aar – but there is a particular concentration of them in the Elbe that 1,000-kilometer frontier draining from Bohemia to Hamburg and Russian troops met as World War II came to a close and which thereafter served as the border between West and East Germany it's near the current German border that the Elbe hosts one of the most famous hunger stones etched upside down from above on an enormous rock usually submerged by the river Such a downbeat tone is typical of hunger stones it impedes navigation and trade – a difficulty currently being experienced on some of Europe's major water routes – but drought is traditionally also followed by crop failure The stone carvers were hardly having fun in the sun Their messages were warnings for future generations a hunger stone emerged from the Spree (an Elbe tributary) near Trebatsch 70 kilometers southeast of Berlin; it said "When you see this stone again so shallow was the water in the year 1417.” The Trebatsch stone is the oldest locatable hunger stone – archives in the German city of Pirna mention one inscribed in 1115 It's not the only example lost to history: Some were also removed to aid navigation.  One example was spotted and described by the writer Victor Hugo in his 1842 travelog The Rhine 60 kilometers west of Frankfurt; thought to be an ancient shrine to the wine god Bacchus its occasional emergence was taken to be a sign of a good year for the vintners in 1850 it was dynamited to expedite shipping Low water levels have always affected navigation – and the ships we rely on aren't getting any smaller A somewhat morbid popular enthusiasm for humankind's self-elevation from past suffering combined with booming mass media such as newspapers and travelogs like Hugo's brought the idea to a wide audience.  weep" Decin stone had been fenced off for its own preservation Local entrepreneur Franz Mayer had made it a tourist attraction: "He sold postcards with the stone and had a beer stand right next to it," says Vlastimil Pazourek In the 1930s someone added a brusque inscription in Czech The oldest date still legible on the Decin stone is 1616 with previous carvings from 1417 and 1473 having been wiped out by anchoring ships over the centuries But despite the occasional loss to erosion and explosion hunger stones function as historical record Often predating careful climate documentation they can give scientists clues to unusually dry summers The Decin stone alone marks droughts in 1616 one Hungerstein has been etched in several summers It's also a record of the common people – unlike many written records hunger stones were available to anyone with a sharp tool and a spare hour Czech researchers described hunger stones as "chiseled with the years of hardship and the initials of authors lost to history," saying they "expressed that drought had brought a bad harvest Decin museum chief Pazourek says "We know hunger stones as places marking dry years on the Elbe – times when there was little water in the river and rafters had a hard time making a living." Via the stones sufferers reach out through the centuries; one in the Rhine near Worms-Rheindurkheim was first inscribed in 1857 and most recently in "Hunger Year 1947"; under it Although the majority of hunger stones date between the 15th and 19th centuries many have been regularly updated – and there has been something of a renaissance in the dry summers of the last 20 years While modern drought does not necessarily lead to famine thanks to globalized agriculture and supply chains the climate situation is certainly worsening.  The European Commission's Global Drought Observatory called this summer Europe's worst in 500 years with 47 percent of the continent under drought warnings – meaning a lack of precipitation is drying the soil – while a further 17 percent is under even more serious drought alert The hunger stones in Worms have proliferated in recent years The increasingly frequent visibility of the stones is thought to be a manifestation of climate change in central Europe No wonder then that ecological groups have been marking hunger stones to raise awareness.  In 2018 Greenpeace placed a stone in the Elbe near Magdeburg saying "When you see me the climate is in crisis," and just this year Extinction Rebellion placed one in the Rhine at the Dutch town of Wageningen with the legend "Climate justice 2022."  While nobody should be immune to worries about climate change not all locals view the hunger stones as unwelcome visitors the hunger stones are part of life's cycle On another in the Elbe near Bleckede in Germany is the message: "When this goes under Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466 A worthy setting for an outstanding  stallion: Almost 3,000 guests celebrated Don Frederico in the Niedersachsenhalle which was filled to capacity This prize is granted every year  by the Hannoveraner Verband and the insurance company R+V/Vereinigte Tierversicherung to honor an approved Hanoverian stallion the Celle state stud stallion Don Frederico was given this honor Breeder Angelika Westerhoff was happy to receive an oil painting by the artist Manfred Busemann and a well-endowed check Angelika Westerhoff from Bleckede bred her mare Cleopatra to the exceptional stallion Donnerhall: Don Frederico was born in 1997 and raised by Klaus Bünger The black sire descends from the mare line of Schwanjungfrau that also produced the trademark stallion Lanthan The sporty youngster delighted licensing committee and guests on the occasion of the stallion licensing in Verden in 1999 he was named Champion Stallion and sold to the Celle State Stud Don Frederico shined again at his stallion performance test in Adelheidsdorf finishing second overall and winning the dressage test convincingly with a partial score of 151.67 points He competed at the Bundeschampionate in Warendorf at the age of five and six and he was the first state stud stallion ever to participate at a Final of the Nürnberger Burgpokal; he won the opening competition in 2006 Don Frederico is today successfully competing with Obersattelmeister Ole Köhler in dressage tests up to S-level.  The Bundeschampion Dantonisius and the Vice Champion Dark Carlotta come from his first crop of foals on the ground Current shooting stars made by Don Frederico are the silver medalist of the Olympic Games in London and Isabell Werth’s Grand Prix-horse Don Johnson FRH 25 of his sons were licensed for breeding by the Hannoveraner Verband among them the current bronze medalist of five-year-old dressage horses at the Bundeschampionate in Warendorf and the World Champion of young dressage horses in 2008 More than 2,500 progeny are registered with the Hannoveraner Verband among them 178 state premium mares and state premium candidates Don Frederico was already honored with the Grande-Prize in 2009 Werner Schade summarized: “The award ‘Stallion of the Year’ is meant to honor stallions whose progeny are successful in international top sport This is exactly the most impressive characteristic of Don Frederico and he passes on these important positive traits to his sons and daughters and Hunter Jumpers in Alachua County Florida An equine "Spa in a Bottle" with plant-based products and essential oils for health and wellness Registered properties of HorsesDaily®Inc. 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