BERLIN — From the depths of the mighty Danube River, a dozen gigantic WWII German shipwrecks rise again, drying up Europe’s rivers and leading to some of the lowest water levels in history Exposed by drought. century.
The exposed shipwreck has been submerged in the river bed for nearly 80 years and only emerges when the water level is extremely low. An unusually hot and dry summer has swept across Europe, causing water levels to drop precipitously, posing a hazard to local river transport and Danube fishing.
All in all, scorching weather has sounded alarm bells across the continent, with heatwaves increasing at a faster rate, with scientists pointing to global warming and other factors playing a major role.
Extreme temperatures have led to reduced yields, squeezing Europe’s ability to generate its own energy supply. They cut hydropower in Norway and threatened nuclear reactors in France. Britain has banned the use of outdoor hoses after experiencing her driest July since 1935. In Spain, Andalusian towns have restricted their water use. In Germany, environmentalists are concerned that lakes and rivers in the heart of the country are drying up, threatening the survival of fish and other wildlife.
The drought has also brought sustained scrutiny to artifacts dating back thousands of years as water levels in rivers across Europe dwindle.
The foundations of a 2,000-year-old bridge in Rome were revealed over the Tiber River this summer. In Spain, the Dolmen of Guadalperal, a 4- to 5-thousand-year-old megalithic monument often compared to Stonehenge, rises from the waters west of Madrid. Formerly, an abandoned and submerged Spanish village when an artificial reservoir was built in the 1960s is now visible after years of submersion.
And in July, fishermen found a 450-kilogram bomb in Italy’s Po River.
German ships exposed on the Danube, Europe’s second longest river, were part of Nazi Germany’s Black Sea Fleet. In 1944, it was sunk by retreating German naval forces to prevent it from falling into the hands of advancing Soviet forces.
According to Serbian authorities, the wreck contains about 10,000 unexploded ordnances, and the removal of the ship and ammunition will cost about $30 million.
“The German fleet left a huge ecological disaster that threatens us, the people of Prahovo,” Velimir Trajlovic, a 74-year-old local retiree who has written a book about German ships, told Reuters. .
As the river dwindled, so-called hunger stones reappeared. The stones were carved with past years when the water level was low, and the locals knew that the harvest would be poor and the next year would be tough.
One widely reported example occurred again (it briefly occurred in 2018) on the Elbe River near the town of Děčín in the Czech Republic.
An inscription, believed to have been carved in 1616, reads: “When you see me you cry.”