Ancient Olive Tree in Bar - Stara Maslina
In the Montenegrin city of Bar, a tree grows, which is currently considered the oldest in all of Europe, and according to some sources, in the world. This is an old olive tree – Stara Maslina – that is over 2000 years old. And despite such solid years, the olive feels great – it has a spreading crown 10 meters in diameter and still bears fruit.
In general, Bar is considered the most “olive” city in Montenegro – a variety of olives is grown in this region, from which oil is made called “Barsko Zlato”. A record number of olives grows on the territory of the Bar – more than a hundred thousand trees! Locals explain this number of olives with an old legend: Until a man plants an olive tree, he has no right to marry.
But, back to Stara Maslina.
This evergreen tree belongs to a variety of local Montenegrin olives called “zhutitsa”, quite widespread throughout the Adriatic coast. However, only this specimen has a confirmed age of more than two millennia. This age makes it guaranteed to be the oldest tree in Europe, and some scientists consider the olive to be the oldest living tree in the world.
Stara Maslina is remarkable not only for its age, but also for its appearance. Its trunk is a branching dome of several shoots, and a crown of gray-green leaves reaches 10 meters in diameter. Years seem to have absolutely no power over the tree, which remembers in its lifetime the birth of the Christian faith. You can feel the transience of human life next to it very well. The Old Olive Tree still bears fruit, and olive oil is made from its fruits, which is sold to tourists who come to see the tree.
This tree is remarkable from historical, biological and aesthetic points of view. That is why in 1957 the state took it under protection and organized a special memorial complex around it. Until that time, Stara Maslina grew without much care, and its hollow trunk, according to rumors, was used by the locals as a place to play cards.
The entrance to the territory of the complex, where the ancient olive grows costs a little. The money goes to the maintenance of a protected park area. In the watchman’s house you can buy a variety of souvenirs: postcards, magnets with the image of Stara Maslina and a bottle of olive oil from its fruits.
In 2015, a scientific analysis of the tissues of the tree was made, which showed that this olive has an age of 2240 years. In addition to it, there are several more equally old trees in Montenegro – 2 trees live more than 2000 years, 6 more trees are from 1000 to 2000 years old, and 20 olive trees are from 500 to 1000 years old.
Source (in Russian): Here.
