Description
The Stelmužė Oak is a Lithuanian natural monument, one of the oldest oaks in Europe, and the oldest and thickest tree in Lithuania. It is estimated that it may be as old as 1,000 years. The oak is 19.5 meters tall, 3.5 meters in diameter, and has a circumference of 13 meters at the base of the crown (near the ground); it would take about 13 people of average build to encircle the trunk. It is truly remarkable that even though it is in very poor condition, the Stelmužė Oak continues to grow at the rate of a middle-aged oak—according to measurements taken from 1956 to 2012 , the Stelmužė Oak thickened by 31 cm over 56 years; thus, its diameter increased by an average of about 5.5 mm each year. And although it is often claimed that the famous oak is entering its second millennium, experts are still debating its age—after all, it is difficult to determine a tree’s age precisely without cutting it down. Based on the latest studies of the oak, it is most likely that this tree has been growing in Stelmužė since the 13th–14th centuries, so it undoubtedly predates both the members of the Selonians tribe who lived here and the first owners of the Stelmužė manor. Legends and tales surround the oak. It was believed that one could descend into the underworld through its hollow trunk, that there might be treasure beneath its roots, and that a sacred fire once burned beneath its branches in ancient times. Altars were set up at the tree’s roots, and offerings were made to the gods there. It is not known exactly what happened to its crown.
