Blekinges grövsta ek

The biggest oak tree in Blekinge, measuring an impressive 785 cm in circumference, is found at Elleholm beach.

The oak is the provincial tree of Blekinge and here the oak meadows often run all the way down to the water and out on the islands of the Blekinge Archipelago. The oak is often used as a symbol for things typical of Blekinge.

The oak is perhaps one of the trees with the most character and the tree that has been most prayed to as holy in religious ceremonies in Europe. The name of the Celtic teachers, the druids, comes from the Greek word for oak, “dryas”, as it was claimed that Celtic druids always used oak leaves in sacrifices and similar rituals.

For hundreds of years, all the oak trees in Sweden belonged to the crown as royal forest, as the wood was used for shipbuilding, mainly for warships for the Swedish navy. Gustav Vasa also ordered oak trees to be planted to meet future shipbuilding needs. Severe penalties were imposed were common men to chop down or damage an oak tree. The same protection was afforded to seedlings. It took about 2,000 oak trees to build a large ship and sufficient timber and proximity to the shipyards was a problem that was realised early on. According to a royal proclamation on 4 August 1608, the penalty for felling an oak tree was 40 dalar for a first offence, 80 dalar for a second offence and anyone who felled an oak tree a third time suffered the death penalty. This is one of the reasons why Sweden has so many oak trees that have stood untouched for hundreds of years.

Source: Wikipedia