Gräberfeld von Stolzenburg

The Gräberfeld von Stolzenburg lies west of Pasewalk in south-eastern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The motorway A20 cuts through a landscape that holds several prehistoric burial sites. South of the carriageway stands a Neolithic megalithic tomb examined in 1886, while beside Darschkowsee a rampart marks an ancient stronghold. The site is worth a journey because archaeologists uncovered fifty-four features during roadwork investigations. Among them are two exceptionally well-preserved Bronze-Age mortuary houses, each built as a rectangular stone pavement with upright posts at the corners. Finds include a plain bronze arm-ring, fragments of seventeen pottery vessels, and the cremated remains of at least nine individuals, mostly men. Visitors find a flat field where the outlines of the two Totenhäuser are still visible. One measures almost four metres by two and shows six post-holes and three graves, while the second, ten metres away, is partly plough-damaged yet retains traces of cremated bone and pottery. Between them lie scattered fireplaces linked to burial rites, and beyond stretch the remains of Bronze-Age barrows and a nearby lake.