MEMORIAL TREES OF THE JÁCHYMOV REGION
Trees as Witnesses of Time
The Jáchymov region is home to a number of remarkable trees, many of which are protected as memorial trees. Originally, they grew in village centres or served as boundary markers. More trees might have gained protected status, but some have already died or their protection was prevented by human intervention.
An example is the ash tree in front of St. Joachim’s Church in Jáchymov. During the process of declaring it a protected tree, a radical crown reduction was carried out, which represents an insurmountable obstacle in the approval procedure. This “professional intervention” coincided with the planned replacement of the lawn with stone paving. A similar fate befell the chestnut avenue that once lined the path from the Sokolovna building to the main road – today neither the chestnut trees nor the path with its steps remain.
The Beech at Staré Jelení
This European beech grows in the forest between Jáchymov and Plešivec on the historic boundary of the Jáchymov estate. It consists of five fused trunks with a circumference of 585 cm and reaches a height of 26 metres. Although other boundary trees have survived, none match its size. The tree has been protected since 2004 for both its historical significance and its impressive growth.
Winkler’s Ash in Mariánská
This European ash was demonstrably planted in 1915 by Mr. Winkler, the owner of house no. 13. After the expulsion of the German population in 1945, the house was demolished, and a recreational building stands there today. The tree has a trunk circumference of 364 cm and reaches a height of 22 metres.
The Linden Trees by the Chapel in Mariánská
This group of three small-leaved lime trees was planted near a chapel on the former pilgrimage route from Jáchymov to the Capuchin monastery in Mariánská. Their age is estimated at 200–240 years. Their trunk circumferences measure 425, 423 and 495 cm, and their height ranges from 30 to 32 metres. They are the tallest protected lime trees in the Karlovy Vary Region.
The Mariánská Lime Tree
This small-leaved lime tree has stood in its location for approximately 200–240 years. Today, a wastewater treatment plant occupies the site, but a Capuchin monastery once stood nearby. The tree is 23 metres tall and its trunk circumference measures 504 cm.
The Popov Birch
This silver birch stands in the area of the former village of Popov (Pfaffengrün), near another protected lime tree. It is the largest and oldest birch in the Czech Republic. Its age is estimated at 100–120 years, which is remarkable for a relatively short-lived species. The trunk circumference is 285 cm and the crown reaches a height of 24 metres.
The Lower Popov Lime Tree
This large-leaved lime once stood on the lower village square of Popov. Due to the weight of its branches, the trunk split, and today a specially constructed walkway passes through it. The trunk circumference reaches 945 cm at a height of 20.5 metres. Benches once surrounded the trunk, where customers of the nearby inn used to sit. Numerous devotional pictures were hung on the tree. It is the eleventh most massive tree in the Czech Republic by trunk circumference and the largest in the Karlovy Vary Region.
The Upper Popov Lime Tree
This small-leaved lime originally stood on the upper village square of Popov. Its age exceeds 400 years. At a height of 28 metres, its trunk circumference measures 907 cm.
The Popov European Ash
Approximately 200 years old, this European ash is the second largest ash tree in the Czech Republic. Its crown spreads 24 metres wide, its height reaches 34 metres and the trunk circumference measures 682 cm. In 2002, it was declared Tree of the Year. It was rediscovered for the public in the 1990s by MUDr. Jaroslav Frouz from Karlovy Vary.
Photo gallery:
https://mipalfi.rajce.idnes.cz/Vyznamne_stromy_Jachymovska/
