“Hunger stones” are geological inscriptions found on river stones in Central Europe that serve as records of past droughts. According to Reuters, some were indeed visible in Germany’s River Rhine as of mid-August 2022, indicating drought conditions there. The above-displayed tweet, though, was misleading: The photographs of that stone in Děčín were actually taken during a different historic drought, in 2018, according to a reverse image search.
According to science and technology news site Ars Technica, there are multiple carvings in the Děčín stone that serve as traces of historical droughts. Carvings in the stone commemorate droughts going all the way back to the 1400s.
But, based on our research, it was unknown whether that particular stone was visible in August 2022 and, if so, why. Ars Technica noted, “It’s actually possible to see this particular stone some 126 days out of the year, thanks to the construction of a dam that was built on a tributary of the Elbe in 1926.”
The Wikipedia entry describes hunger stones more fully - a type of hydrological landmark common in Central Europe serving as famine memorials and warnings. They have been seen during droughts and there seems to be lots of them over time. The one that's shown up in articles and social media is one of the most famous and the oldest in the Elbe river.
There's a long list HERE in the Wikipedia article.
It still is spooky to see the declaration "If you see me, weep".
My pictures of carved stones are from Mount Pleasant cemetery in Toronto. I imagine that this beautiful palm frond symbolized death and eternal peace, referencing Palm Sunday.
