The Oldřich Oak ( cs, Oldřichův dub), also known as the Prince Oldřich Oak, is a pedunculate oak (''
Quercus robur
''Quercus robur'', commonly known as common oak, pedunculate oak, European oak or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native to most of Europe west of the Caucasus. It is widel ...
'') tree
in
Peruc
Peruc (german: Perutz) is a market town in Louny District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,300 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
The villages of Černochov, Hřivčice, Chrastín, Pátek, Radonice nad Ohří, St ...
in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
that is estimated to be about 1,000 years old. The tree has a height of and a
trunk circumference
In geometry, the circumference (from Latin ''circumferens'', meaning "carrying around") is the perimeter of a circle or ellipse. That is, the circumference would be the arc length of the circle, as if it were opened up and straightened out t ...
of .
Legend
The tree derives its name from a
legend
A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...
, set in the 11th century, involving
Oldřich, Duke of Bohemia
Oldřich ( la, Odalricus, Udalrichus, german: Odalric, Udalrich; – 9 November 1034 or 1042), a member of the Přemyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 1012 to 1033 and briefly again in 1034. His accession to the Bohemian throne marked t ...
and Božena, the mother of his only son. According to the legend, Oldřich set out on a hunt and travelled to Peruc. There, he spied a beautiful
peasant
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasant ...
girl, Božena, by a well (known today as Božena's spring)
and was immediately entranced by her. Oldřich abandoned his hunt and took Božena back to
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
, and she eventually gave birth to his son
Bretislaus. In the legend, Oldřich's first meeting with Božena took place in sight of the Oldřich Oak.
The Oldřich Oak is mentioned in the
Chronicle of Dalimil.
See also
*
List of oldest trees
References
External links
Image galleryat Pooh.cz
Another image Gallery
Individual oak trees
Louny District
Tourist attractions in the Ústí nad Labem Region
Individual trees in the Czech Republic
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