Reaching a milestone

A report by Heinz Lenz

What does a master builder do on holidays? He sets up a monument! This article will report on a private, voluntary achievement due to its uniqueness.

Thanks to Jürgen Prigl, bonds of friendship connect Soest with the exciting region of Vinschgau and the people of South Tyrol. Love for mountaineering and the friendship with Wolfgang Platter, Director of the Stelvio National Park, lead to a beautiful gesture. On the way back from Ortler, Wolfgang Platter said to Jürgen Prigl: “With your initiative, the Soester Runde, and as president of the EACD, you have already done so much for our marble school and South Tyrol, I am going to dedicate a climb to you”. Prigl replied in the thin mountain air: “If that is true, I will do something again and donate it”.

The fun turned serious. Due to the lack of free time, it took two years until the stela was complete with the theme: THE SPIRIT AND THE GOLDEN RULE / THE SPIRIT GOES WHERE IT CHOOSES.

Made from the Marble of Laase and the green sandstone of Soest, a milestone at 2,800 m altitude standing above the Göflaner Lake on the Marteller ridge between Weißwand and Laaser Spitze

At the end of the company holidays in 2007, the locals had organised a mountain mass. Around 150 people climbed up in the early hours of the morning. Auxiliary Bishop Franz Grave from Essen, the pastors from Martell and Laas, as well as pastor Hendrik Mattenklodt, who brought a stone from St. Maria zu Wiese, celebrated a service.

The author of the draft gratefully noted that the variants of the so-called Golden Rule – which is also a basis for the legal system – are placed with their inscriptions side by side in this way-marker.

The stone from the towers of the Wiesenkirche was signed above. It lies there with other rock fragments, which were carried together to an altar. Now this place is well suited for a snack.

At the beginning of the summer vacation in 2007, the stela was brought to its destination by the national park’s helicopter during other service flights. Photographer: Olaf Reinstadler, Solda.

Versions of the golden rule are carved in stone in the original languages of the world’s religions. The collection of the original texts and the naming of all contributors – who gave their efforts voluntarily for this project – is listed on a plaque in German, Italian and English. The templates for the stone inscriptions came about in a global way to avert any possibility of errors – and certainly not by means of information available online. The information was gained by consulting with highly qualified individuals, such as Rabbi Dr. Henry G. Brandt, Saraswati Albano-Müller (granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi), Prof. Mahendra Shakya (Master of Buddhism, Sumangali Monastery), Anita Chitrakar, Karl-Friedrich Bartlewski, Dr. Hassan Daoud…