Galeriegrab von Beckum-Dalmer

The Galeriegrab of Beckum-Dalmer stands in the Bauerschaft Dalmer south of Beckum in the Warendorf district. It lies in the Westphalian Bay of North Rhine-Westphalia, the north-westernmost and westernmost preserved gallery grave in Germany. Most similar sites are found further east in Ostwestfalen and North Hesse. Built by the Funnelbeaker culture between 3500 and 2800 BC, it belongs to the neolithic period. Its long chamber, oriented north-west to south-east, is of the Rimbeck type. The entrance sits in the middle of the north-east side, and the gallery shows a slight central bend. Researchers have examined whether the layout follows astronomical lines, noting that the entrance may align with the northern moonrise path. The chamber measures about 27 m long and 1.5 m wide, built from erratic blocks like those at Osnabrück and the Teufelsteine of Heiden some 80 km away. Visitors still see the main outline of the grave. Some upright stones have shifted and several capstones are missing, yet the shape remains clear. Two uprights and one capstone survive at the entrance. The site offers a quiet space to walk beside the low grassy mound and imagine the builders who laid these stones five thousand years ago.