Dubina: French inscription

Secrets carved into the rock

Behind the village of Libá we reach a prominent rock formation, which passes by a stream, otherwise known as Libský. The path on its bank will take us to the site of the former Dubina, a now-defunct village. If we are attentive, we will see modifications to the stream, which will tell us that there used to be a mill here, belonging to the now-defunct village of Dubina (German: Eichelberg).We will be interested in a rock formation that might even remind someone of a human (perhaps inhuman) face. Under the rock overhang there is a bench where you can sit comfortably and in the shade, or we can read the text on the educational board, both of which are to our benefit. If we do not want to rest, we will examine the rock face, on which a French inscription is carved in the following wording:

VIVE

LE PROPRIETAIRE

DE CETTE HERMITAGE

GLE XXV D´OCTOB 806

So in English: 

LONG LIVEOWNER OF THIS ESTATEDATE OCTOBER 25, 1806

We don't learn much from the inscription, but we can guess a lot. We know something about the history of this place and we could perhaps deduce something from a brief statement, as the long-time secretary of the Society for the Research of Stone Crosses, Jiří Poor, tried to do:The inscription was carved out of gratitude by a French soldier who, when he was wounded, was cared for by the inhabitants of the mill, which stood across the stream from the rock. The mill has long since disappeared from the world. In 1803-1815, the Napoleonic Wars were taking place in Europe. So it is quite possible that French troops were stationed here. It must have been Christian help from the inhabitants of the mill, because it was certainly an enemy soldier. We do not know more information, the name of the soldier, etc.

The Rock near Dubina

A little more informative are the local history publications from the other side of the border, in which we learn some interesting facts about the place where the Stone Mill or Steinmühle used to stand. A certain Josef Mähner owned it before 1800. The building, as the name suggests, was probably used for processing stone.There are two interpretations of the unique French inscription on the rock opposite the former Stone Mill.According to the first, a hermit lived in these places. However, we have no historical evidence for this. Moreover, the top of this rock has clearly been modified - there are still several holes dug into the rock, which probably served to attach wooden poles of some structure, perhaps a gazebo or a shooting observation post, a perch. From the place there is a beautiful view of this entire section of the stream valley. It can therefore be assumed that the estate of Libé used the rock for waiting. Any shooting would probably disturb the hermit during his meditation.Well, we already know the second version. According to it, the inhabitants of the mill took care of a wounded French soldier. Maybe someday we will be able to discover a document that will help us determine his identity. Anything is possible.