A stone that is now visible in Děčín, where the Elbe flows from the Czech Republic to Germany, was given a warning in 1616: "When you see me, you cry."
The stones that are embedded in the bank to mark the water level during famines were uncovered when the drought continued to go on Europe.
other stones that were spread in German settlements from the 16th to 19th centuries were labeled with similarly macabre warnings at falling water levels.
Central Europe is affected by a historical drought, the Rhine reached record lows on Monday.
Record low water level in the Rhine
The water and shipping management in Germany (WSV) has measured only 30 cm water column at an important reference point in Kaub- a bottleneck for shipping on the river, which supplies Germany's industrial core areas.
At least 15.7 inch water is required so that the commercial shipping is viable, and the WSV predicts that the water level could continue to drop this week.
The German shipping company Contargo warned on Friday that its inland ships, which drive the Rhine and its tributaries, "cannot drive safely".
in Emmerich, where the Rhine flows across the Dutch border, 1.5 inch water was measured at the reference point - a record low that exceeds the 2.7 -inch water column from 2018.
Although the measured values at the Emmerich reference center - which is not the deepest point of the river - could fall to zero this week, the merchant shipping street of the river remains navigable.
Location could deteriorate in Germany
With increasing heat, fears that the situation in Germany's rivers could tighten.
"As long as it doesn't rain, things will go downhill," said a spokesman for the Rhine water and shipping office on Sunday to the broadcaster World.
economists estimate that the interruption of Rhine shipping could affect the entire economic growth in Europe's largest economy by up to half a percentage point.
Since Germany relies on coal to reduce its dependence on Russian gas, the Rhine has become even more critical.
Since boats can no longer absorb enough coal due to low water, the energy giant Uniper has warned of production cuts in two of its power plants, which together deliver four percent of German coal current.
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