Natural monument “Keppelner Stein”
On May 7, 1934, the 3,220 kg boulder was lifted from the Totenhügel on the border with Uedem, but still in Keppeln territory.
For decades, the boulder stood in front of the war memorial at the Hohe Mühle on the outskirts of Uedem. In a cloak-and-dagger operation in 1954, it was brought home by the “stone commando,” which consisted of 15 Keppelners. However, before an arbitration ruling could be made, the “stumbling block” had to be brought back to Uedem, where it was awarded to the Keppelners after a short stay. On May 7, 1955, it found its place next to the linden tree in front of the church. As part of a new road layout, the linden tree and the stone had to make way. Since 1967, it has found peace here in the shade of the linden tree. In 1985, the street was renovated and given the name Steinstraße - formerly Neustraße, Hosenmarkt. Here it embodies the cohesion and independence of Keppeln.
The stone, a light reddish coarse-grained pegmatite granite with gneiss components, is a witness to the Ice Age. Around 200,000 years ago, the Ice Age brought it from Scandinavia to the Lower Rhine. The rock is more than 1 billion years old.
Height: 1.60 m
Width: 1.35 m
Circumference: 3.70 m
Further information in the report [147 KB] on the natural monument "Keppelner Stein".
Source: Keppeln Local History Association