THE THREE-SIDED BOUNDARY STONE DREIHERRENSTEIN
INTRODUCTION
A review of tourist portals and even official municipal websites reveals numerous inaccuracies concerning the three-sided boundary stone known as the Dreiherrenstein, the so-called “Stone of Three Lordships.” Information is frequently copied and disseminated without reference to sources, despite contradicting historical facts. This important monument therefore deserves a factual clarification of the most common misconceptions.
THE DATE 1544, MARIA THERESA AND THE COATS OF ARMS
The boundary stone was originally erected in 1677 but bears the date 1729. In that year it was reinstalled following the final demarcation of territorial and land boundaries. The date 1544, sometimes cited, is historically incorrect. The delimitation of the border between the Kingdom of Bohemia and Saxony was established only on the basis of the Prague Agreement of 14 October 1546. Systematic placement of boundary stones began from 1558 onward.
Likewise, there is no connection with the reign of Maria Theresa. She ascended the Bohemian throne in 1740, more than ten years after the stone had been reinstalled with the date 1729.
COATS OF ARMS AND THEIR ACTUAL MEANING
Another common misconception claims that the coats of arms on the stone represent the borders of Bohemia, Saxony, and the House of Schwarzenberg. In reality, the stone marked the boundary of three lordships: the Saxon lordship of Schwarzenberg (not the Bohemian noble family of Schwarzenberg), the lordship of Schönburg, and the territory of the Schlik family (Ostrov and Jáchymov). The name Schwarzenberg here refers purely to the Saxon territory.
On the north-western side appears the alliance coat of arms of the Electorate of Saxony and the Kingdom of Poland. It does not represent two states forming a border, but symbolises a personal union in which the Saxon Elector was simultaneously King of Poland. The abbreviation FARPES stands for Fridericus Augustus Rex Poloniae Elector Saxoniae – “Frederick (August), King of Poland and Elector of Saxony.” The coat of arms thus expresses the sovereign authority of the ruling monarch.
On the north-eastern side is the coat of arms of the lordship of Hauenstein, bearing the inscription Hauenstein and the date 1729. It is an alliance coat of arms referring to the property relations between the Margraves of Baden and the Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg.
On the southern side appears the Austrian eagle symbolising the mining town of Jáchymov (Joachimsthal), again with the date 1729.
THE LAST BORDER ADJUSTMENT
The last major border adjustment took place in 1842–1843. At that time, the state boundary between the Kingdom of Saxony and the Kingdom of Bohemia (within the Austrian Empire) was marked by a boundary ditch, still visible in the terrain today. The stone was assigned the number 376 and marked with the initials KS (Königreich Sachsen) and KB (Königreich Böhmen).
It must be emphasised that the Dreiherrenstein marked the meeting point of three lordships, not three modern nation states. Projecting contemporary political borders onto early modern territorial structures is one of the reasons for later misunderstandings.
CONNECTION WITH BOŽÍ DAR
The stone has no historical connection with the town of Boží Dar. It was not even the nearest settlement. In the area of today’s wind turbines once stood the settlement of Sonnenwirbelhäuser (Klínovecké Chalupy), which belonged to the Jáchymov lordship.
The present-day association of the monument with other administrative units can be understood as part of modern tourism promotion rather than a reflection of historical boundary development. In its historical context, the Dreiherrenstein belongs primarily to the territory of Jáchymov.
Photo Gallery: https://mipalfi.rajce.idnes.cz/Kamen_tri_panstvi_Dreiherrenstein/
