Sunken city in Germany found after 600 years: Rungholt

A legend in Germany tells that a city located on the northern coast of the country, on the Wadden Sea, was swallowed up by the waters in just one night. For a long time it was thought that the story was not true, but recently a church was discovered on the site, and other traces of human constructions were also found.

The place was known as Rungholt and, according to legend, it disappeared after a heavy rainstorm sent by God as a punishment for the inhabitants’ sins, such as drunkenness, impiety and the ostentatious display of wealth.

This immorality would last in the city until sometime after Christmas in January 1362, when a group of drunken youths attempted to force a priest to give the sacrament of anointing the sick to a pig.

The priest would go to church and ask God to punish the boys. The next day she left the city and a few hours later the storm sank Rungholt in the Wadden Sea. Even today, he says, you can hear the church bell underwater.

Wadden Sea and the town of Rungholt

Located between the coast of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark and the Frisian Islands, the Wadden Sea is known for its shallow depths, and at low tide you can even see some sandy flats between the waters.

Through various methods of geophysical analysis, such as magnetic gradiometry, electromagnetic induction and seismic, it was possible to find out if the city really existed and is today buried under water and sand, or if it was just a legend.

And the result was yes, Rungholt really existed, in addition to the foundation of a church, which was probably the center of the city, there were also found artificial mounds built to protect the city from high tides and storms, drainage systems and even a port, believed to have been a point of intense maritime trade, where fish, oysters and nets were sold.

According to researchers investigating the region, the sandy wastes at low tide can still reveal much about the ancient city, but one must race against time as the remains of the buildings are heavily eroded and may not last long. .

A legend in Germany tells that a city located on the northern coast of the country, on the Wadden Sea, was swallowed up by the waters in just one night. For a long time it was thought that the story was not true, but recently a church was discovered on the site, and other traces of human constructions were also found.

The place was known as Rungholt and, according to legend, it disappeared after a heavy rainstorm sent by God as a punishment for the inhabitants’ sins, such as drunkenness, impiety and the ostentatious display of wealth.

This immorality would last in the city until sometime after Christmas in January 1362, when a group of drunken youths attempted to force a priest to give the sacrament of anointing the sick to a pig.

The priest would go to church and ask God to punish the boys. The next day she left the city and a few hours later the storm sank Rungholt in the Wadden Sea. Even today, he says, you can hear the church bell underwater.

Wadden Sea and the town of Rungholt

Located between the coast of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark and the Frisian Islands, the Wadden Sea is known for its shallow depths, and at low tide you can even see some sandy flats between the waters.

Through various methods of geophysical analysis, such as magnetic gradiometry, electromagnetic induction and seismic, it was possible to find out if the city really existed and is today buried under water and sand, or if it was just a legend.

And the result was yes, Rungholt really existed, in addition to the foundation of a church, which was probably the center of the city, there were also found artificial mounds built to protect the city from high tides and storms, drainage systems and even a port, believed to have been a point of intense maritime trade, where fish, oysters and nets were sold.

According to researchers investigating the region, the sandy wastes at low tide can still reveal much about the ancient city, but one must race against time as the remains of the buildings are heavily eroded and may not last long. .

The post Sunken city in Germany found after 600 years: Rungholt first appeared in Olhar Digital.

Source: Olhar Digital