[OSM-talk] I've removed historic=icon from map features

[Marc Schütz]

Thanks for all the comments!

To clarify: the objects in question are usually made of stone, between 1 and 2 
meters high, and show scenes from the bible or from the life of saints and 
martyrs. They are frequently found in southern Germany and the alps. Some of 
them have been built as votive offerings, others are found alongside 
procession and pilgrim routes.

As this seems not to be found in English-speaking countries, there probably 
isn't a widely used English term for it. dict.cc translates it as "wayside 
shrine" (http://www.dict.cc/deutsch-englisch/Bildstock.html).

As to the crosses Rob mentioned, they are found in my area too. They can 
probably called "wayside cross" in analogy.

So, unless someone comes up with better names, I will start a feature proposal 
in the wiki for:
historic=wayside_shrine
historic=wayside_cross

Removing historic=icon was probably a good idea anyway, as it is still unclear 
what it meant. Querying the XAPI 
http://osmxapi.hypercube.telascience.org/api/0.5/node%5bhistoric=icon%5d 
shows that it is in use for a wide variety of things (judging by the names):
- border stones
- a clock tower
- various memorials
- "Gravhøj" (probably meaning a prehistoric grave hill)
- at least one "Bildstock"

Regards, Marc
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