Großsteingrab Gerichtsstätte

The Großsteingrab Gerichtsstätte is a Neolithic megalithic tomb near Dötlingen in Lower Saxony. It stands in a sandy field two kilometres east of the village centre and 1.5 km north-east of the River Hunte. The site belongs to the Street of Megalith Culture route that links more than 30 prehistoric monuments across the region. The tomb dates from between 3500 and 2800 BC and belongs to the West Group of the Funnelbeaker culture. Its design is a passage grave: a rectangular stone chamber about four metres long and 1.5 metres wide, with five upright stones, one end stone and one capstone still in place. In the 18th century the local Aschenbeck farm used the site for woodland courts that judged minor offences such as illegal logging. Visitors walk along a farm track to reach the grave. The chamber lies in open grassland with views across the flat geest landscape. Nearby lie other megalithic tombs, showing how widespread this burial tradition once was.