The Lindenstein
In memory of the court official Anton Linden, who was murdered here on March 8, 1800, this memorial was erected by the "Hermeskeiler Kantonsbürger". The date inscribed on the memorial stone is "17. Ventorse 8. Jahrs", a unique cultural-historical event in the Hochwald area.
This date has the following historical background: Since the Treaty of Campo Formio on October 17, 1797, France regarded the occupied Rhineland as a French province and implemented a new administrative division. Hermeskeil became the seat of a cantonal administration. Additionally, a new timekeeping system was introduced, the Republican Calendar, which began with the proclamation of the French Republic. The Lindenstein is a stone witness to this measure. Incidentally, Napoleon reintroduced the old Gregorian calendar in 1805.
In 1986, the original stone, aged 186 years, was saved from decay, preserved, and placed in the local museum (Hochwaldmuseum) in Hermeskeil.
Source: Plaque of the Local History and Tourism Association Hermeskeil at the Lindenstein
