Kvilleken – Sweden - Atlas Obscura

Kvilleken

 

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This oak has seen vikings, the Black Plague and world wars pass but refuses to give up.

Kvilleken (the Kvill oak) is a more than 1,000 year old oak in the Norra Kvill National Park in Sweden. It is the oldest and biggest tree in all of Scandinavia and was first described in 1772 by Magnus Gabriel Craelius.

The tree has lived a rough live and lately endured sabotages and infestations by larvae and fungi. But the Kvill oak refuses to give up and has lived on years after it has been down for the count.

The Kvill oak has also a scandalous past with its hollow trunk featuring in a sex scene in the movie I Am Curious (Yellow). When released in 1967 it was controversial and deemed obscene by many and in one case it went as far as the United States  Supreme Court where it was determined not to be.

The scandalous days of the 950 year old Kvill oak might be gone and supports, metal bands and fences have been installed to protect it. Still, it refuses to give up and lives on like it was the year 1099.

 

 

 

 

Sources (where did this go?):

ttps://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/0nWdb2/nytt-liv-for-dodsdomd-tusenarig-ek

ttps://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvilleken

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumskulla_oak

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