Cooperative Cross Rengen

The history of the cooperative cross:
Traditional agriculture and cattle breeding have always been practiced in the Eifel. In earlier years, therefore, the death of a head of cattle meant a severe financial loss. It was therefore particularly important to protect the animals from all dangers and adversities. The farmers joined together in so-called "cooperatives".
In 1957 there were 2 cooperatives in Rengen. In that year, livestock suffered particularly often from diseases and plagues. In the meadow valley "Op der Hof" not far from here, the cows were bitten by thousands of black flies (horseflies). People tied towels over their faces to protect their mouths and noses from inhaling flies. The members of the 2nd Rengener cooperative decided to set up a cross to protect the animals. A year later, the cross was made from oak beams in the courtyard of the carpenter Theodor Clemens, assembled and sent to di

“Each of these crosses can tell its own story and what prompted people to erect “their” cross at this point. (...) These wayside crosses were erected as visible signs and attract the attention of many people. The cross is a symbol of life. It stands as a sign of our Christian hope and wants to direct our gaze to Jesus Christ, who has overcome death (...). The cross is part of our life as it was in the life of Jesus.
So I wish that many people … visit the crosses, whether as places of stillness and breathing space before God, whether as places for community gatherings, prayer and praise to God.”
(Text source: Dean Rainald M. Ollig
in: "Crossroads... small sacred monuments as a sign of popular piety")