- Elsa Maishman
- BBC News
6 hours ago
image source,Archyde.com
The Rhine, a “starvation stone” engraved with the year, is exposed as the water level drops, showing how far the water level has dropped in the past
At the same time as the extreme heat and drought across China, the heat wave in Europe on the other side of the Eurasian continent has continued for several weeks.
Not only did this cause major problems for shipping and the movement of ships, it also accidentally exposed some treasures and secrets normally buried underwater.
The most ominous of these is the Hunger Stone. They are located on the waterline of the river carved into the river during the drought of yesteryear, as a warning to posterity: when the stones come to the surface, trouble is coming.
The place where most of the “starvation stones” reappear is on the banks of the Elbe, which flows from the Czech Republic through Germany.
In 1616, a stone in the river emerged from the water and was inscribed with a phrase, believed to be as early as the 15th century, which meant “if you see me, cry”.
The lowering of the Danube in Serbia has revealed wrecks of ships sunk during World War II, some laden with explosives.
The ships were found in the river near the town of Prakhovo, and they were part of the Nazi fleet that sank there in 1944.
As the drought continues, expect to see more of the secrets hidden underwater for years.
image source,Archyde.com
Several German warships sunk during World War II spent more than 70 years underwater and are now exposed to the sun.These ships were fleeing Soviet pursuit when they sank
Unexploded ordnance that has been lying under the Po River in Italy for many years has also resurfaced.
In July 2022, 3,000 villagers from a village near the city of Mantua were evacuated to allow experts to defuse and safely detonate a submerged World War II bomb.
image source,Archyde.com
Italian soldiers remove an unexploded bomb from World War II from the dried-up bed of the Po River
The water level of the Po River dropped, and a barge of German wartime use, which sank in 1943, came to the surface.
A few months ago, locals witnessed the Zibello barge surfacing as water levels dropped. As the drought continued, the hull was increasingly exposed to sunlight.
image source,Getty Images
The Zibero barge gradually emerges from the water
The ruins of an ancient bridge come into view after the water level of the Tiber in Rome fell. The bridge was probably built in the time of Emperor Nero around 50 years ago.
When the water level is low, there is always a small part of the ruins to the surface, but now much more can be seen than usual.
It is located below a modern bridge, the Vittorio Emanuele II.
image source,Getty Images
The remnants of an ancient bridge built in the time of Emperor Nero reveal the surface of the Tiber River
In central Spain, the “Spanish Stonehenge” has also surfaced in the Valdecanas Reservoir in the province of Cáceres.
Officially known as the Tombs of Guadalperal, the megalithic circle is believed to date back to the 5th millennium BC.
They were discovered by archaeologists in 1926, and in 1963 a local rural development project was implemented to build a reservoir, and these stone tombs were submerged.
Since then, they have surfaced four times.
image source,Archyde.com
The reservoir in central Spain is dry, and the “Stonehenge” at the bottom of the reservoir is exposed.
In Galicia, on the border with Portugal, a “ghost village” emerged from a reservoir that completely dried up earlier this year.
There is a village called Aceredo where this reservoir is located. The original villagers who moved to other places heard the news and rushed back to their hometowns to take a look at the remains of their homes back then.
image source,Getty Images
A village in Spain close to the Portuguese border is classified as a reservoir area, submerged under water, and only emerges when the water level is extremely low
Great Britain also has long-lost treasures rediscovered.
A reservoir in the Derbyshire village of Derwent has dried up to reveal what is thought to be the remains of an old local church.
A reservoir was built there in the 1940s, and the entire village became a reservoir area, submerged in water.
image source,Terry Westerman
The Derwent church spire was originally left intact as a memorial but later demolished
The Clifford Lake Reservoir in Cornwall has dried up to reveal the remains of an ancient tree.
In the Bodmin Moor area, a reservoir was built in the 1980s, and large tracts of woodland were submerged under water.
image source,Getty Images
The trees sank when the reservoir in the Bodmin Moor was built and are now back to the light of day
Traces of a 17th-century garden have emerged in Lydiard Park in Swindon, south-west England, as green lawns withered under persistent heat, exposing imprints on the ground.
A similar “ghost garden” has also appeared at the nearby Longleat estate.
image source,Phil Jefferies
Lydiard Park grounds reveal traces of former gardens