Path of the bildstocks

The term "bildstock" translates to "image" (bild) and "stick" (stock), meaning a column that bears an image. Associated with a calvary, the bildstock is a religious monument made of wood or stone erected either in the streets or in the villages. Generally, it is topped with a niche that contains an image of Christ on the cross or another saint, all protected by a canopy. All bildstocks differ in their shape, meaning, and structure. Sometimes they rest on an altar, other times elements of everyday life appear. Why do we see so many bildstocks in our villages? In the 17th century, the Thirty Years' War caused a lot of damage to these religious monuments, except around Thionville. Indeed, the Thionville region, having never belonged to the Dukes of Lorraine but remaining Luxembourgish until the mid-17th century when the war was only temporary, has preserved a large number of bildstocks.