- Elsa Maishman
- BBC News
August 22, 2022
image source,Reuters
The Rhine, a “starvation stone” engraved with the year, is exposed as the water level drops, showing how far the water level has fallen in the past
At the same time as the extreme heat and dryness across China, the heat wave in Europe on the other side of the Eurasian continent has continued for several weeks.
Not only did this cause major problems for shipping and moving ships, it also accidentally revealed some treasures and secrets that were usually buried under the water.
The most ominous of these is the Hunger Stone. They are located on the water line of the river carved into the river during the previous year’s drought, as a warning to the future: when the stones come to the surface, trouble is coming.
The place where most of the “hunger stones” reappear is on the banks of the Elbe, which flows from the Czech Republic through Germany.
In 1616, a stone in the river emerged from the water and was inscribed with a phrase, believed to be as early as the 15th century, which meant “If you see me, cry”.
The lowering of the Danube in Serbia has revealed wrecks of ships sunk during the Second World War, some laden with explosives.
The ships were found in the river near the town of Prakhovo, and they were part of the Nazi fleet that sank there in 1944.
As the drought continues, expect to see more of the secrets hidden underwater for years.
image source,Reuters
A number of German warships sunk during the Second World War spent more than 70 years underwater and are now exposed to the sun. These ships were fleeing Soviet pursuit when they sank.
The unexploded ordnance which has been lying under the River Po in Italy for many years has also resurfaced.
In July 2022, 3,000 villagers from a village near the city of Mantua were evacuated to allow experts to safely defuse and detonate a submerged WWII bomb.
image source,Reuters
Italian soldiers remove unexploded ordnance from the Second World War from the dry bed of the River Po
The water level of the Po dropped, and a German wartime boat surfaced, which sank in 1943.
A few months ago, local people saw the surface of the Zibello boat as water levels dropped. As the drought continued, the body was more exposed to sunlight.
image source,Getty Images
The Zibero boat gradually emerges from the water
The ruins of an ancient bridge come into view after the water level of the Tiber in Rome falls. The bridge was probably built in the time of Emperor Nero about 50 years ago.
When the water level is low, there is always a small part of the ruins to the surface, but now much more can be seen than usual.
It is located under a modern bridge, the Vittorio Emanuele II.
image source,Getty Images
The remains of an ancient bridge built in the time of Emperor Nero reveal the surface of the Tiber River
In central Spain, the “Spanish Stonehenge” has also surfaced in the Valdecanas Reservoir in the province of Cáceres.
Officially known as the Tombs of Guadalperal, the megalithic circle is believed to date back to the 5th millennium BC.
They were discovered by archaeologists in 1926, and in 1963 a local rural development project was implemented to build a reservoir, and these stone tombs were submerged.
Since then, they have surfaced four times.
image source,Reuters
The reservoir in central Spain is dry, and the “Stonehenge” at the bottom of the reservoir is exposed.
In Galicia, on the border with Portugal, a “ghost village” emerged from a reservoir that completely dried up earlier this year.
There is a village called Aceredo where this reservoir is located. The original villagers who moved to other places heard the news and rushed back to their home towns to look at the remains of their homes at that time.
image source,Getty Images
A village in Spain close to the Portuguese border is classified as a reservoir area, submerged under water, and only emerges when the water level is very low.
Great Britain also has rediscovered lost treasures.
A reservoir in the Derbyshire village of Derwent has dried up to reveal what are believed to be the remains of an old local church.
A reservoir was built there in the 1940s, and the whole village became a reservoir area, flooded.
image source,Terry Westerman
Llyn Clifford Reservoir in Cornwall has dried up to reveal the remains of an ancient tree.
In the Rhos Bodmin area, a reservoir was built in the 1980s, and large areas of woodland were submerged under water.
image source,Getty Images
The trees sank when the reservoir was built at Bodmin Moor, and are now back in the light of day
The remains of a 17th century garden have emerged in Lydiard Park in Swindon, south-west England, as green lawns die from the continued heat, revealing imprints on the ground.
A similar “ghost garden” has also appeared on the nearby Longleat estate.
image source,Phil Jefferies
The grounds of Lydiard Park reveal the remains of old gardens
