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Talking Gravestones of Amrum


Coordinates: 54°39′11″N 8°21′20″E / 54.6530°N 8.3555°E / 54.6530; 8.3555

The Talking Gravestones of Amrum (German: Sprechende Grabsteine), also known as the Story-telling Gravestones (Erzählende Grabsteine), are historic artifacts on the German island of Amrum, one of the North Frisian Islands off the west coast of the Jutland Peninsula. They stand in a legally protected section of the St. Clemens Church cemetery in the village of Nebel. The gravestones, totaling 152, are inscribed with sometimes detailed accounts of the occupations, life histories, social rank and families of the deceased. The best-known gravestone is for Hark Olufs, an early 18th-century seafarer and folk hero.Similar objects can be found at the neighbouring island Föhr.

The gravestones, most made of sandstone by local stonemasons, date from 1678 to 1858. Their inscriptions reflect the historic culture of the times and the whaling industry that then occupied many Frisian Islanders. The largest are 2 meters (6.7 feet) tall and weigh about 800 kilograms (1,800 lb).

Except for a few large monuments that were created by professional stonemasons from elsewhere, the gravestones were carved by local craftsmen and ship's carpenters. They included Tai Hirichs (1718–1759) from the coastal islet Nordstrandischmoor, Jens Payen (1711–1787) and Arfst Hanken (1735–1826) from the neighboring island Föhr, as well as the Amrum resident Jan Peters (1768–1855), who crafted 36 of the still intact gravestones. Hinrichs created the most widely known markers, those of Oluf Jensen and his son Hark Olufs. Although these craftsmen were not trained stonemasons, the quality of their work is considered above average.


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