The reconstructed Stone Age ring sanctuary in Pömmelte-Zackmünde fascinates people. Despite Corona, tens of thousands of people have come to the Stone Age site every year since 2017. The season ends on Saturday with a festive “fall finale”.
Schönebeck (dpa/sa) – The approximately 4,300-year-old ring sanctuary in Pömmelte-Zackmünde (Salzland district) is a tourist magnet. “There have been around 200,000 visitors since 2017,” said event manager at Salzlandkreis, Alexandra Bruscaini of the German Press Agency. “So far this year, almost 30,000 people have come, but the year is not over yet.” This year there were a total of 40 events for adults and school classes. “In 2019 around 31,000 people came and in the previous year around 44,000 people,” said Bruscaini. For this Saturday, the tourist season is to end with a festival entitled “Autumn End”.
An art project is planned for the end of April next season. “Artists from Saxony-Anhalt will live and work here for a week. The results will then be on display in the Salzland Museum,” said Bruscaini. At the summer solstice (June 21) there is a concert on site, electronic music with old instruments. Meanwhile, the construction of the tourist information center at the Pömmelte ring sanctuary has been delayed. The building, which will cost around 1.8 million euros, is scheduled to open in spring 2023.
In addition, the archaeological excavations will continue in 2023. “The project was originally supposed to be completed this year, but then surprisingly half a house was uncovered,” said the spokesman for the State Museum, Alfred Reichenberger.
Excavations have been going on in the areas around the ring sanctuaries of Pömmelte and Schönebeck since 2018. So far, well over 100 nave plans from the Early Bronze Age have been discovered on an area the size of around 15 football pitches.
The reconstructed ring system is in the original place. The ring sanctuary has a diameter of 115 meters and is surrounded by a palisade fence made of 1800 robinia trunks. Pömmelte is comparable to the English Stonehenge – only the complex was built of wood. A nine meter high viewing platform offers a comprehensive overview. Original finds are on display in the Salzland Museum in Schönebeck, about 6.5 kilometers away.
