Plieninger Bildstöckle Stele

Tragedy whispers on the wind at the Plieninger Bildstöckle. This unassuming stone stele, standing solitary against the sky, holds a tale of heartbreak and remorse. The Plieninger Bildstöckle, as locals call it, marks a place of deep sorrow. Around 1130, a hunting trip turned tragic for Walther von Horwe. He accidentally killed his young son with a misdirected spear meant for a wild boar. Imagine the agony of that moment, the weight of guilt that must have crushed him. Consumed by remorse, Walther embarked on a pilgrimage to Rome. He carried a heavy wooden cross all the way back to Plieningen as penance. He reached his son’s grave at the Martinskirche, but the journey had taken its toll. Exhausted and broken, he collapsed and died near the present location of the Plieninger Bildstöckle on Echterdinger Straße. The original memorial may have been a cross, but time has weathered it down to the stele we see today. More recently, two local citizens, Albert Hertig and Wilhelm Klotz, took it upon themselves to care for the aging sandstone. They even planted two cypress trees beside it. These trees, however, became a point of contention. The Stuttgart Garden Office removed them, arguing they obscured the stele and didn’t belong in the landscape. While the Plieninger Bildstöckle stands bare once more, the story of Walther von Horwe’s tragic accident and his arduous pilgrimage remains. The stele serves as a poignant reminder of a father’s love, a tragic loss, and the heavy burden of grief.