The Düwelsteene Megalithic Tomb – Germany’s Devil Stones and the Legend of Charlemagne
staining. Continue on for 1 and a half km. [Music] [Music] So, we came in this way. Here’s where the dogs were. We went down and we parked right here in this corner and we walked in like like this nice path here. Here’s Haida. That’s where the uh you know, legend of the devil starts. Devil Stones parked a little further up from the main entrance. Do a little walk with a dog, too. Some raised earth here. It’s been raised for a while as you see from the trees. Some definite raised uh big raised area. Beautiful area. All right. This might be it right up through here. You’re alive. Look at that tree grew into or around the rock. You still [Applause] Yeah, this road we followed uh about a year ago. Some of it other videos on the uh more northern part of the route. Today we just have time to check out one. [Applause] Apart from it being well before Christ, 3,000 years, 3,500 years, the legend has it this is called the devil’s table of all things. the devil was here and he was walking to Aken to attack the local uh king’s uh castle or whatever and he stopped in Haida where we just were and he asked somebody uh the road to Aen and the man noticed the devil from his hooved feet and uh told him a big story how far away it was even though it wasn’t and then the devil threw his stones down in disgust right here and didn’t go forward with plan. These stones are of course reconstructed. Um, they weren’t originally like this. They don’t know exactly how it was originally. They did some studies. They have a little bit of an idea, but for instance, they don’t know exactly where the entrance to the to the graves were. This was done in 1932, I believe it was, which counts for the tree being uh the stones were collected by the citizens around here and brought back to uh the original place. Some were here, some were not. What are you doing? [Applause] [Applause] They even put these supports here. The ancients don’t need supports. Now I’m curious just out of curiosity what the uh alignment is compass. Okay, the alignment is north. Sorry, northeast north. So not quite true. Nor would be over here. So a little bit northeast [Applause] and the other way of course uh south southwest you know west so more south southwest First, [Applause] [Applause] I mean, just amazing how that tree Definitely got some uh some grooves probably done by farmers back in the day. Some kind of engraving up through there. Exactly. What? Don’t know. I guess many a kid has played on this one. [Applause] image you just saw is from this PDF Megalith Graa in Vestfallen and I’ll leave a link to it below but it’s a very informative um document gets into the site’s history and uh what’s really neat is here’s the legend of the devil and his stones Yeah, they were a little smaller there. Some of the archaeological stuff. 1932. You can see some of the work they were doing. Some of the stones were there. Look like some pottery. This is uh 1928. before they did the full reconstruction of the site. Even the shield of the close to the Hiden, the town close by has the like the megalith on there. Now, this picture is amazing because this from 1894. So, here you see it. I mean, this might be the tree that’s now growing in the middle, right? So, you can see how it was. It was a little bit in disarray, but they pieced together through the archaeological evidence and very very interesting. So yeah, check it out in the link. And they even have some um some form of LAR which should be very interesting to look at some of those raised areas when we walked in. So, there’s a lot going on in that area. That’s for sure. Landmark survey. Uh There’s Aken and there’s H Highen. There’s Midlands. So, if we cruise on in there, the site itself is uh um over in here. Here’s the uh Doodles Steinbeck. And here it is. That little little area right there. Some kind of cabbage, I guess. I don’t really know. Looks like cabbage. Some wheat over there. Corn over here. Take care of your water. Take care of yourself.
Join us on a tour of the Düwelsteene, a mysterious megalithic tomb in Heiden, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This ancient burial site, also known as the Devil’s Stones, is one of the oldest and most legendary Neolithic monuments in the region, built around 3300–2600 BC and reused until the Bronze Age.
🪨 History & Archaeology:
The Düwelsteene are among the first prehistoric monuments in Westphalia to undergo formal study. As early as 1713, antiquarian Jodocus Hermann Nünning documented them in a treatise on “heathen graves.” A copperplate engraving from this early research helped preserve its historical form.
Thanks to citizen science, including photographs dating back to 1894, the tomb’s original appearance has been digitally reconstructed, even though much of it was altered during an unscientific 1932 restoration that obscured the original entrance and layout.
The tomb stretches 12 meters in length and up to 4.2 meters in width, with a structure that once included a paved stone floor, capstones, and an earth mound surrounded by a kerb of smaller boulders.
🧬 Cultural Significance:
The site belongs to the Funnel Beaker Culture, a prehistoric people who raised livestock, farmed grain, and constructed communal tombs across Northern Europe. Burials often included amber jewelry, animal teeth, flint tools, and intricately decorated ceramic vessels—particularly the iconic Trichterbecher (funnel beaker), after which the culture is named.😈 The Legend of the Devil’s Stones
The name “Düwelsteene” (Devil’s Stones) is steeped in local folklore:
According to legend, the Devil set out with a sack of stones to destroy Charlemagne’s cathedral in Aachen. Along the way near Heiden, he met a clever shoemaker carrying twelve worn-out pairs of shoes. When asked how far Aachen was, the shoemaker replied, “I’ve come straight from Aachen and wore out all these shoes along the way.”
Realizing his quest would be impossible, the Devil flew into a rage and dropped the stones on the spot, abandoning his mission.
Another part of the myth says the stones are impossible to count—each time someone tries, they come up with a different number. They say the Devil either adds or removes one stone each time you attempt the count…📍 About the Site
• Name: Steinkammergrab Düwelsteene
• Location: Heiden, District of Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• Built: c. 3300–2600 BC
• Culture: Funnel Beaker Culture (Trichterbecherkultur)
• Length: ~12 meters
• First Mentioned: 1713 by J.H. Nünning
• Restored: 1932 (non-scientific reconstruction)
• Legend: The Devil tried to destroy Charlemagne’s cathedral with these stones
• Reconstructed: Through modern 3D modeling and historical photography
🎥 In this video, I’ll guide you around this remarkable site, explore its mythological background, and reveal what makes the Düwelsteene such a special and haunting place.
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🙏 If you’ve visited the Düwelsteene yourself, or if you know other sites like this with powerful stories, drop a comment below!
#Düwelsteene #MegalithicTomb #GermanyHistory #AncientLegends #DevilsStones #FunnelBeakerCulture #PrehistoricEurop
The Devil’s Stones – Steinkammergrab Düwelsteene in Heiden Germany
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