The oldest Sequoiadendron giganteum in the Netherlands is presently the giant sequoia in Abraham Ledeboerpark in Enschede. The enormous conifer connects the city's industrial past and present. During the ice ages, the giant sequoias disappeared from the landscape and were reintroduced to north-western Europe in the mid-nineteenth century as a symbol of wealth and power. A hundred years after being planted by wealthy manufacturers, people of all ages cherish the remarkable tree.