Steinstossen (translated to 'stone throwing' in English) is the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

variant of stone put, of throwing a heavy stone overhead using both arms for the longest distance. Practiced among the alpine population since prehistoric times, it is recorded to have taken place in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

in the 13th century. During the 15th century, it is frequently recorded to have been practiced alongside the '' Schützenfeste'' of the

Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy, also known as Switzerland or the Swiss Confederacy, was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ), initially within the Holy Roman Empire. It is the precursor of the modern state of Switzerlan ...

. The historical throwing event is also central to the

Unspunnenfest Unspunnenfest is a festival held in the town of Interlaken, Switzerland, near the old ruin of Unspunnen Castle, in the Bernese Alps, approximately once every twelve years, most recently in 2017. The festival highlights traditional Swiss cultur ...

, a festival inaugurated in 1805 in Interlaken near the old ruins of Unspunnen Castle in the

Bernese Alps The Bernese Alps are a mountain range of the Alps located in western Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Berner Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Va ...

, and held once every twelve years.

Unspunnen stone throw

One of the main highlights of the Unspunnenfest is the 'Unspunnen stone throw' where the contestants have to begin on a runway, hurling the stone into a sand pit. The unique stone is carved out from Aare

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

of the Hasli valley.

World records

All-time record

* for by Markus Maire (2004 Eidgenössischen Schwing und Älplerfest,

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

)

Unspunnen record

* for by Urs Hutmacher (2023 Unspunnenschwinget, Interlaken) :→ ''Hutmacher surpassed Maire's from 2006 Unspunnenschwinget.''

International variations

Germany

In 1860, Steinstossen was introduced as a track-and-field discipline in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, retaining the name in spite of the stone being replaced by a block of iron.

United States

Ohio Swiss Festival

Within the United States, the Ohio Swiss Festival in Sugarcreek has the distinction of being the longest running competition, having run annually since 1956. Contestants in the men's division hurl a stone weighing . They begin on a runway, hurling the rock into a sand pit. The record holder of this event for 21 years was Jud Logan of North Canton, Ohio, with a throw of . That record was broken by Beaux Lenarz in 2005 with a throw of . There is also a women's division, using a stone. The women's record is held by Roberta Collins of Sandusky with a throw of .

German-American Festival

Steinstossen at the annual German-American Festival, in Toledo, began in 1989. The competition is scheduled for a two-hour period beginning at 3:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Kevin Marx of Toledo, in 2009, had a throw of . A different rock is used at this festival than is used at the Ohio Swiss Festival so the two cannot be directly compared, even though both rocks weigh the same. The women's record at the German-American Festival is held by Becky Ball of Marblehead with a throw of , in 2007.

Arnold Strongman Classic

The steintossen is one of the regular events which may feature, on a selective basis, in the annual Arnold Strongman Classic competition. In the 2023 competition in Columbus, Ohio, the contestants had to throw an replica of the Unspunnenfest stone. Poland's Mateusz Kieliszkowski threw the stone for to win the men's event. The women's competition was won by Victoria Long of USA who threw a replica for to win the event.

References

{{strength Sports Swiss folklore Individual sports Sports originating in Switzerland Throwing sports