A circle of nineteenth-century landscape painters used to walk out to these oaks at night, and it was they who named them after a god.
Ancient trees in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is the wrong country for ancient trees and has them anyway. This page maps 602 remarkable trees across 56 cities in the Netherlands, each one researched and verified. The oldest of them is The Wodanseiken in Wolfheze, at roughly 400 to 600 years.
Half of it was seabed, peat bog or open water within the last thousand years, the soil is young, the water table sits close under the roots, and North Sea storms arrive with nothing in the way to slow them down. What survived did so under shelter, and that shapes the entire list: a pear tree inside an almshouse courtyard, a cycad potted in a botanical garden in 1704 and never repotted since, lindens pollarded for three centuries because a village square needed its shade. Dutch ancient trees are tended survivors rather than forest giants, which is why so many stand behind a gate you have to find rather than out in open parkland. It also explains the oldest one on this list: a fruit tree.
Every place we map in the Netherlands
1Leeuwarden41 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years, from the register's planting band of 1750 to 18002
Arnhem39 trees · oldest ~370 years3
Amsterdam34 trees · oldest 300 years4
The Hague31 trees · oldest about 300 years5
Utrecht27 trees · oldest about 275 years6
Nijmegen22 trees · oldest 300 to 400 years, and by some accounts 4507Eindhoven21 trees · oldest roughly 275 to 325 years, from the register's planting band of 1700 to 17508
Groningen21 trees · oldest about 340 years9Haarlem21 trees · oldest over 230 years10
Dordrecht20 trees · oldest 300 to 325 years, established by municipal research in September 202011Helmond20 trees · oldest roughly 195 to 205 years, from the register's planting band of 1820 to 183012
Leiden20 trees · oldest about 310 years13Tilburg20 trees · oldest over 650 years, and locally said to approach a thousand14Maastricht19 trees · oldest about 300 years15
Amersfoort18 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years, from the register's planting band of 1750 to 180016Zwolle16 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years, from the register's planting band of 1750 to 180017
Enschede15 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years, from the register's planting band of 1750 to 180018Alkmaar14 trees · oldest roughly 175 to 225 years, from the register's wide planting band of 1800 to 185019
Den Bosch12 trees · oldest roughly 250 years20Deventer12 trees · oldest roughly 325 to 425 years, and the register suggests a planting in 161421Hoorn12 trees · oldest roughly 160 years, from a registered planting date around 187022Rotterdam12 trees · oldest about 226 years23Apeldoorn10 trees · oldest roughly 340 years, if the register is right that it went in with the palace avenues between 1685 and 169024Assen10 trees · oldest roughly 250 to 350 years25Breda10 trees · oldest 245 years26
Baarn8 trees · oldest roughly 175 years27Delft8 trees · oldest 319 years, planted 170728
Emmen8 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years, and the register suggests a planting around 179029Haarlemmermeer8 trees · oldest roughly 140 years, from a registered planting date around 188530
Heerlen8 trees · oldest roughly 330 to 430 years, from the register's planting band of 1600-170031Roosendaal8 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years, from a registered planting band of 1750-180032
Ede7 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years as a stool, from the register's band of 1750 to 1800; the stems on it are far younger33Sittard-Geleen7 trees · oldest roughly 160 years, from a registered planting date around 187034Venlo7 trees · oldest roughly 205 to 215 years, from the register's planting band of 1810 to 182035
Hilversum6 trees · oldest roughly 150 years, from a registered planting date around 188036Oss6 trees · oldest roughly 190 years, from a registered planting date around 184037Zaanstad4 trees · oldest roughly 140 years, from a registered planting date around 189038
Rhenen2 trees · oldest roughly 350 to 400 years39Amerongen1 tree · oldest roughly 330 to 345 years40Borculo1 tree · oldest roughly 175 to 195 years41Breukelen1 tree · oldest roughly 270 years, though the underlying planting band spans 250 to 37642Den Hout1 tree · oldest several centuries; a forester who studied it argues it may be the oldest living oak in the Netherlands, planted around 125043
Doornenburg1 tree · oldest several hundred years (popularly, but not literally, called 'the thousand-year oak')44
Fleringen1 tree · oldest roughly 400 to 500 years; some local claims go much higher but are not well supported45Giethoorn1 tree · oldest roughly 195 to 215 years46Harderwijk1 tree · oldest over 270 years, from a planting band of 1700 to 1750; unconfirmed local tradition ties it to Carl Linnaeus's studies at Harderwijk in 173547Heinkenszand1 tree · oldest roughly 155 to 165 years48Hilvarenbeek1 tree · oldest roughly 320 to 350 years49Laren, Gelderland1 tree · oldest roughly 400 to 500 years50Nuenen1 tree · oldest roughly 400 years51Oostkapelle1 tree · oldest disputed: a board at the castle gives a planting between 1000 and 1400, while the national register proposes a planting after the late sixteenth-century rebuild, roughly 400 to 450 years ago52
Sambeek1 tree · oldest roughly 350 to 500 years53Stoutenburg1 tree · oldest over 350 years54Velp1 tree · oldest roughly 300 to 500 years55Vorden1 tree · oldest roughly 400 years56Wolfheze1 tree · oldest roughly 400 to 600 years
Arnhem39 trees · oldest ~370 years3Amsterdam34 trees · oldest 300 years4The Hague31 trees · oldest about 300 years5Utrecht27 trees · oldest about 275 years6Nijmegen22 trees · oldest 300 to 400 years, and by some accounts 4507Eindhoven21 trees · oldest roughly 275 to 325 years, from the register's planting band of 1700 to 17508Groningen21 trees · oldest about 340 years9Haarlem21 trees · oldest over 230 years10Dordrecht20 trees · oldest 300 to 325 years, established by municipal research in September 202011Helmond20 trees · oldest roughly 195 to 205 years, from the register's planting band of 1820 to 183012Leiden20 trees · oldest about 310 years13Tilburg20 trees · oldest over 650 years, and locally said to approach a thousand14Maastricht19 trees · oldest about 300 years15Amersfoort18 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years, from the register's planting band of 1750 to 180016Zwolle16 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years, from the register's planting band of 1750 to 180017Enschede15 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years, from the register's planting band of 1750 to 180018Alkmaar14 trees · oldest roughly 175 to 225 years, from the register's wide planting band of 1800 to 185019Den Bosch12 trees · oldest roughly 250 years20Deventer12 trees · oldest roughly 325 to 425 years, and the register suggests a planting in 161421Hoorn12 trees · oldest roughly 160 years, from a registered planting date around 187022Rotterdam12 trees · oldest about 226 years23Apeldoorn10 trees · oldest roughly 340 years, if the register is right that it went in with the palace avenues between 1685 and 169024Assen10 trees · oldest roughly 250 to 350 years25Breda10 trees · oldest 245 years26Baarn8 trees · oldest roughly 175 years27Delft8 trees · oldest 319 years, planted 170728Emmen8 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years, and the register suggests a planting around 179029Haarlemmermeer8 trees · oldest roughly 140 years, from a registered planting date around 188530Heerlen8 trees · oldest roughly 330 to 430 years, from the register's planting band of 1600-170031Roosendaal8 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years, from a registered planting band of 1750-180032Ede7 trees · oldest roughly 225 to 275 years as a stool, from the register's band of 1750 to 1800; the stems on it are far younger33Sittard-Geleen7 trees · oldest roughly 160 years, from a registered planting date around 187034Venlo7 trees · oldest roughly 205 to 215 years, from the register's planting band of 1810 to 182035Hilversum6 trees · oldest roughly 150 years, from a registered planting date around 188036Oss6 trees · oldest roughly 190 years, from a registered planting date around 184037Zaanstad4 trees · oldest roughly 140 years, from a registered planting date around 189038Rhenen2 trees · oldest roughly 350 to 400 years39Amerongen1 tree · oldest roughly 330 to 345 years40Borculo1 tree · oldest roughly 175 to 195 years41Breukelen1 tree · oldest roughly 270 years, though the underlying planting band spans 250 to 37642Den Hout1 tree · oldest several centuries; a forester who studied it argues it may be the oldest living oak in the Netherlands, planted around 125043Doornenburg1 tree · oldest several hundred years (popularly, but not literally, called 'the thousand-year oak')44Fleringen1 tree · oldest roughly 400 to 500 years; some local claims go much higher but are not well supported45Giethoorn1 tree · oldest roughly 195 to 215 years46Harderwijk1 tree · oldest over 270 years, from a planting band of 1700 to 1750; unconfirmed local tradition ties it to Carl Linnaeus's studies at Harderwijk in 173547Heinkenszand1 tree · oldest roughly 155 to 165 years48Hilvarenbeek1 tree · oldest roughly 320 to 350 years49Laren, Gelderland1 tree · oldest roughly 400 to 500 years50Nuenen1 tree · oldest roughly 400 years51Oostkapelle1 tree · oldest disputed: a board at the castle gives a planting between 1000 and 1400, while the national register proposes a planting after the late sixteenth-century rebuild, roughly 400 to 450 years ago52Sambeek1 tree · oldest roughly 350 to 500 years53Stoutenburg1 tree · oldest over 350 years54Velp1 tree · oldest roughly 300 to 500 years55Vorden1 tree · oldest roughly 400 years56Wolfheze1 tree · oldest roughly 400 to 600 years103 species grow in the Netherlands
Oaks Pedunculate Oak 69 · Northern Red Oak 6 · Sessile Oak 6 · Hungarian Oak 4 · Pin Oak 4 · Turkey Oak 4 · Oak 3 · Pontic Oak 1 · Scarlet Oak 1 · Sessile Oak "Mespilifolia" 1 · Turner's Oak 1
Beeches Copper Beech 48 · European Beech 24 · Weeping Beech 12 · Sweet Chestnut 10 · Chinese Beech 1 · Fern-leaved Beech 1 · Golden Beech 1
Elms and zelkovas Dutch Elm 12 · Wych Elm 'Exoniensis' 4 · Wych Elm 2 · Elm 1 · European White Elm 1 · Saw-leaf Zelkova 1
Planes London Plane 72 · Oriental Plane 11 · Plane 2
Limes Common Lime 36 · Silver Lime 12 · Lime 9 · Large-leaved Lime 4 · Weeping Silver Lime 3 · Crimean Linden 2 · Small-leaved Lime 2
Maples Silver Maple 9 · Sycamore 7 · Japanese Maple 2 · Norway Maple 2 · Sycamore 'Leopoldii' 2 · Box Elder 1 · Cappadocian Maple 1 · Field Maple 1 · Maple 1 · Norway Maple 'Leopoldii' 1 · Variegated Sycamore Maple 1
Chestnuts, walnuts and hazels Horse Chestnut 39 · Caucasian Wingnut 14 · Black Walnut 4 · Red Horse Chestnut 3 · Pecan 1 · Turkish Hazel 1
Figs and mulberries Black Mulberry 2
Conifers Giant Sequoia 12 · Ginkgo 10 · European Yew 7 · Bald Cypress 6 · Cedar of Lebanon 4 · Western Red Cedar 3 · Atlas Cedar 2 · Dawn Redwood 2 · Nootka Cypress 1 · Nordmann Fir 1 · Oriental Spruce 1 · Pond Cypress 1
Fruit and blossom Date-plum 1 · European Pear 1 · St Lucie Cherry 1
More broadleaf trees Canadian Poplar 11 · Southern Catalpa 11 · Tulip Tree 10 · Black Locust 6 · European Ash 5 · Gray Poplar 2 · Hornbeam 2 · Japanese Pagoda Tree 2 · Sweet Gum 2 · Tree of Heaven 2 · Weeping Willow 2 · White Willow 2 · American Yellowwood 1 · Balsam Poplar 1 · Black Alder 1 · Catalpa 1 · Common Holly 1 · Eastern Cape Giant Cycad 1 · Flowering Ash 1 · Golden Chain Tree 1 · Golden Rain Tree 1 · Grey Poplar 1 · Handkerchief Tree 1 · Holly 1 · Honey Locust 1 · Lombardy Poplar 1 · Magnolia 1 · Narrow-Leaved Ash 1 · Oak-leaved Hornbeam 1 · Persian Ironwood 1 · Poplar 1 · Siberian Balsam Poplar 1 · Sweet Birch 1 · Transcaucasian Birch 1 · Weeping Japanese Pagoda Tree 1 · White Poplar 1
The oldest tree mapped in the Netherlands
Trees from the Netherlands also appear in Autumn Worth the Trip · The Autumn Harvest · The Trees the World Has Written About. See every city on the map, or open the map to find what is near you.