Hunger stones re-emerge in Europe as a warning of climate change

The drought that Europe is going through has once again triggered the so-called “Hunger Stones”. Common in central Europe, this delicacy is rocks at the bottom of rivers that can only be seen when water levels are very low. According to the BBC, it has been re-emerging since 2018, causing the continent to go into alert mode.

Some of these stones carry messages about events brought about by the water shortage and drought that afflicted the population who lived between the 15th and 19th centuries in the places where Germany and the Czech Republic were now founded, according to the BBC. They are installed in areas covered by the main rivers of Europe, and when they are at a low water level, they reappear. One of them can actually be seen in the Elbe River, which originates in the Czech Republic and flows through Germany, emptying into the North Sea. In German it is written: “If you see me, cry”.

Hunger stones are found mostly along the banks of the Elbe River. (Photo/Reproduction: Wikimedia Commons/Media Ninja)

The city that has been hit the most by the drought so far is Dín, in the northern Czech Republic, where the Plounice River flows into the Elbe River, near the border with Germany. Currently, twelve Hunger Stones have already been revealed along with the riverbed. In the past, the population did not have many resources to deal with and get around droughts. As a result, drought destroyed many farms and made it difficult or virtually impossible to navigate the rivers through which food and supplies arrived. However, drought also caused hunger to occur. In recent weeks, France and Spain have had to activate the water rationing feature.

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Featured image: One of the latest rocks documenting the October 2016 drought on the Elbe River. Photo/Reproduction: Wikimedia Commons/Ninja Media