Hærvejsstenen - Viborg, Denmark
Posted by: 
pstidsen
N 56° 25.436 E 009° 22.870
32V E 523511 N 6253328
Hærvejsstenen viser afstande til Middelalderens hellige steder. The old military road stone is a monument which shows the distance to various holy places from the middle ages.
Waymark Code: WMHW3Z
Location: Denmark
Date Posted: 08/18/2013
Views: 15
Hærvejsstenen er placeret på et lille hedeareal i Viborg Hedeplantage. Stenen er rejst i 1976 af Skovstyrelsen, der under en skovrydning opdagede flere hidtil ukendte hulveje i området, hvor den gamle hærvej gik. Stenen - en gammel vejtrommel sat på højkant - er lavet af granit, og har indhugget tre parallelle tekstbånd forfattet af Viborg-forfatteren Peter Seeberg:
KRÆMMERE KRIGERE KÆRRER KAROSSER RYTTERE DRIVERE VANDRINGSMÆND
HESTE STUDE GÆS FROMME GODE ONDE MANGE ENE
LANGVEJSFRA TIL LANGVEJSSTEDER TRÆTTE AD DEN SLYNGEDE VEJ
JERUSALEM ROM SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELLA HAMBORG LÜBECK PARIS FINDERUP VARDE.
På stenens top findes en messingplade med en kompasrose. Kompasrosen angiver afstande til hellige steder i Middelalderen.
Når man i gamle dage skulle rejse over land, var det bedst at undgå at skulle krydse de større vandløb. De fleste vandløb i Jylland starter ved den jyske højderyg, hvorfra de løber enten mod øst eller vest. Højderyggen fungerer således som et skel mellem de øst- og vestvendte vandløb. Vejen langs vandskellet fra Viborg til Grænsen og videre til Dannevirke/Slesvig kaldes Hærvejen. Vejen var i gamle dage ofte ikke andet end et par hjulspor, og turen fra Viborg til Grænsen kunne nemt tage en uges tid. Vejen bestod ikke af én vej, for blev ét spor kørt op, valgte man et andet. Sporene samledes dog ved vadesteder og broer.
Hærvejsstenen is located in Viborg Plantage. The stone was places in 1976 by the Forestry Commission, during a deforestation discovered several previously unknown sunken roads in the area where the old military road went. The stone, an old road roller, is made of granite, and has carved three parallel band of text authored by author Peter Seeberg.
On top of the stone is a brass plate with a compass rose. The compass rose indicates the distances and directions to holy places from the Middle Ages.
Hærvejen is the name given to an ancient trackway in Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein. The route passes from Viborg over Flensburg to Hamburg where it connected with other roads. It has been known by several other names throughout history, most importantly "the Cattle Road" (Studevejen) and "the Ox Road" (Oksevejen / Ochsenweg).
The road runs more or less along the watershed of the Jutland Peninsula. By using this route one could avoid rivers, or ford them close to their origins where they were still shallow. As time went by this route was improved with paved fords, embankments and bridges. Concentrations of mounds, defensive ditches, settlements and other historic landmarks can be found along the road. While sections of it can be traced as far back as 4000 BC, newer road construction has erased many traces. The use of the road declined during the Viking age, as transportation by ship became more convenient. New cities were constructed along the coast instead of the road.| This Waymark is dedicated to, and inspired by Q10 - A danish Waymarking pioneer |