Olfener Bild, Column shrine in Olfen, Germany.
The Olfener Bild is a sandstone column shrine set on a ridge east of Olfen in Germany. It has a stepped base at the bottom and a small roofed niche at the top, though the front of the niche shows signs of damage.
The monument was built in the early 16th century, before the Reformation, as a rest stop for pilgrims on their way to the mother church in Guttersbach. It stands as a trace of pre-Reformation religious life in this part of the Odenwald.
The Olfener Bild stands at a path's edge and still invites a brief pause for those passing through. Hikers on the Nibelungensteig often stop to read the information board placed beside it.
The shrine sits directly along the Nibelungensteig, a marked hiking trail, so it is straightforward to reach on foot. An information board from the Museum Street Odenwald-Bergstrasse stands nearby and gives further context on the spot.
In 1838, a prisoner named Jean Baptist Rieger used a rest stop at this spot to escape his guards. This unusual episode is part of the local history attached to this stretch of path.
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