Sieben Steinhäuser, Neolithic dolmen group in Osterheide, Germany.
The Sieben Steinhäuser is a group of five megalithic burial chambers on the Lüneburg Heath built from massive stone slabs arranged in rectangular forms. The stone chambers sit close together, each supported by vertical stone posts that hold large capstones in place.
These burial structures were built by early farming cultures during the Neolithic period, roughly between 3500 and 2800 BCE. The Funnelbeaker culture that lived in northern Germany left these monuments as evidence of their burial traditions.
These stone tombs served as burial places for Neolithic communities and reflect how early farming societies honored their dead. The chambers built close together show how burial practices were central to the life and beliefs of these ancient people.
Access is normally only possible at weekends and on public holidays, between 8 am and 6 pm, and only when no military exercises are running. The sole public route starts at a barrier in Ostenholz, about 4 km southeast of the Walsrode motorway interchange, and runs 5.4 km through the restricted training area; the road is cleared of spent ammunition. The site can also be reached during the autumn Volksradfahren, when a rest and refreshment point is set up near the graves.
Grave D's capstone measures 4.6 by 4.2 metres and is half a metre thick, resting on a short, nearly square chamber about 4 by 3 metres inside. A rectangular enclosure roughly 4 metres wide and 14 metres long adjoins it, with an abrupt gap to the southwest. No traces of removed pillars suggest the gap may have marked plots for three or four planned graves.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,909 contributors worldwide.