Lime Tree in Lipany

Species: lime (Tilia cordata Miller)
Age: 320 years years
Region: Šariš, Prešov region, Slovakia

On the place where in the 11th Century the town of Lipany (Lime town) was founded, grew a sacred old Slavic lime forest. The trees started falling till there were only seven limes left. Until the 16th Century, the town was called Seven Limes (Septemthillis in Latin or Héthárs in Hungarian). This lime grows by St. Martin’s church. It used to be a symbol of a closed agreement on sacred land – any agreement signed on the sacred land under the lime tree in the presence of two witnesses had an official status – it worked as if it was notarized. The connection between Lipany and lime trees is not only a play on words, but a true story and a deep relationship. To this day, there are seven lime trees in the coat of arms of the town. Hundreds of limes grow in and around the town. However, the lime by St. Martin’s church is one of the most beautiful and people treat it as the town’s “honorary freeman”.
Tree of the year 2012
5591 votes
4th place
Nominated by:
National contest organizer: Ekopolis Foundation
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