The Rumskulla oak, also known as the Kvill oak, is an

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

tree (''

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 plant, native to most of Europe west of the Caucasus ...

'')"Rumskullaeken—Sveriges grövsta träd"
Naturreservat, Vimmerby, Länsstyrelsen Kalmar län, retrieved 17 November 2013 (pdf) near Norra Kvill National Park in Rumskulla

socken Socken is the name used for a part of a county in Sweden. In Denmark similar areas are known as ''sogn'', in Norway ''sokn'' or ''sogn'' and in Finland ''pitäjä'' ''(socken)''. A socken is a country-side area that was formed around a church, ...

Vimmerby Vimmerby () is a city status in Sweden, city and the seat of Vimmerby Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 10,934 inhabitants in 2010. Overview Stångån is a small river running through the city. Vimmerby had its charter as early as the f ...

Kalmar County Kalmar County () is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Kronoberg, Jönköping, Blekinge and Östergötland. To the east in the Baltic Sea is the island Gotland. The counties are mainly administrative units. Geo ...

Småland Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized fo ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. It is the oldest oak in Sweden and one of the largest trees in Scandinavia, and was first described in 1772.

History

The tree is more than 1,000 years old and was first described by Magnus Gabriel Craelius in 1772 in ''Försök till ett landskaps beskrivning'' ("Essay in the description of a landscape"). It is high, with a trunk approximately in circumference and a volume of approximately , making it one of the largest trees in Sweden. According to

Eksjö Municipality Eksjö Municipality (''Eksjö kommun'') is a municipality in Jönköping County, southern Sweden, where the town Eksjö is seat. The present municipality was created in 1971 when the former ''City of Eksjö'' was amalgamated with three neighborin ...

, it is the oldest tree in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

and the largest in circumference."Mariannelund"
Eksjö kommun, retrieved 17 November 2013 There was an iron band around the trunk to support it, thought to have been put there in the 19th century. It was partially replaced after being cut in 2005 by someone who said he wanted to "free" the tree. In 2013, new interventions, such as wire supports, were installed. A chain a little higher up prevents the trunk from splitting; the tree is now completely hollow. Climbing has been forbidden since 1998 and there is a fence around the tree; going closer than is not permitted. The hollow trunk of the tree was the location for sex scenes in ''

I Am Curious (Yellow) ''I Am Curious (Yellow)'' (, meaning "I Am Curious: A Film in Yellow") is a 1967 Swedish erotic drama film written and directed by Vilgot Sjöman, starring Sjöman and Lena Nyman. It is a companion film to 1968's ''I Am Curious (Blue)''; the t ...

'', a 1967 film by

Vilgot Sjöman David Harald Vilgot Sjöman (2 December 1924 – 9 April 2006) was a Swedish writer and film director. His films deal with controversial issues of social class, morality, and sexual taboos, combining the emotionally tortured characters of Ingm ...

. The film was controversial when first released, including being banned in Massachusetts; in a case that went all the way to the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, it was ultimately determined not to be obscene.

Nature reserve

The Rumskulla oak is registered as a national natural object of interest with the

Swedish National Heritage Board The Swedish National Heritage Board ( sv, Riksantikvarieämbetet; RAÄ) is a Swedish government agency responsible for World Heritage Sites and other national heritage monuments and historical environments. It is governed by the Ministry of Cult ...

and in 2008, the Kvill Nature Reserve ( sv, Kvills naturreservat) was created around it as the first nature reserve in the municipality. The preserve was created to preserve a traditionally open landscape with large oaks and other deciduous trees which contrasts with the nearby pine woods. It is adjacent to Norra Kvill National Park. The tree is accessible for disabled people."Invigning vid Kvilleken"
Länsstyrelsen Kalmar län, retrieved 17 November 2013

Close-up views of trunk

File:Kvilleken 2012f.jpg File:Kvilleken 2012g.jpg File:Rumskullaeken.jpg File:Kvilleken 2012c.jpg File:Kvilleken 2012e.jpg

References

External links

* * Per Eliasson
"Rumskullaeken: Sveriges äldsta träd"
''

Nationalencyklopedin ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (; "The National Encyclopedia" in English), abbreviated NE, is a comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia, initiated by a favourable loan from the Government of Sweden of 17 million Swedish kronor in 19 ...

'' 2002
Kvill Oak
Vimmerby tourist office
Photo (June 2014)

International Oak Society.org – look for "The Mighty Oak of Kvill"
{{coord, 57, 44, 5, N, 15, 37, 44, E, type:landmark, display=title Geography of Kalmar County Individual oak trees Individual trees in Sweden

History

Nature reserve

Close-up views of trunk

See also

References

External links