Iron Man (Kottenforst)

The iron pole, over two meters high, is an impressive relic from the late Middle Ages. The iron was probably heated with coal and poured into a trough. Its shape was probably used for transport for further processing. But it never came to that. The iron post served as a border post for a long time. An information board explains the details. The Iron Man is history you can touch. At the crossroads there is also a seating area and a weather shelter.

It is assumed to be a survey point, a boundary marking or a memorial. The stele was first mentioned in a document in 1625, and for a long time it served as a landmark for the border between the communities of Heimerzheim and Alfter. An investigation from 1978 indicates that it is charcoal pig iron that was poured into an open trough in the form of bars. This is a technique used in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, but not yet in Roman times.
Source: Wikipedia

Somehow I had imagined more about the "Iron Man" ...
But this somewhat strange iron pole is striking.