Seasons1 of 4
The castle is about 800 years old and the lime in its park is not far behind. Schlettau calls this small-leaved lime one of the oldest trees in the whole Erzgebirge, the Ore Mountains, and puts it at over 750 years, which would mean it was already a mature tree when the mining boom made this corner of Saxony rich in silver and tin. It stands in the Schlosspark, the romantic park laid out around Schloss Schlettau, a castle that is now a museum kept going by a local association. The park is free; only the castle interior charges. Be straight about the evidence, because it is thinner here than on most trees we publish. The age figure comes from the town's own account of itself, no independent survey has put a tape around the trunk, and no girth or height has been recorded anywhere we can find. What is independently confirmed is the species, the protected Naturdenkmal status and the tree's standing as a named specimen rather than an anonymous park lime. If you have measured it, or you have seen a plaque that gives a number, we would like to hear it.
From people who stood here
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Getting there
Schlosspark, Schloss Schlettau, Schlettau, Erzgebirgskreis, Saxony
You can recognise it as the old small-leaved lime, one of the oldest trees in the Erzgebirge, standing as a named specimen rather than an anonymous park tree. It stands in the Schlosspark of Schloss Schlettau.
Free. Stands in the Schlosspark of Schloss Schlettau; the park is open to visitors (the castle museum/interior is a separate, ticketed attraction).
Small town of Schlettau in the Erzgebirgskreis (Ore Mountains), Saxony; a car or regional bus is the practical way in.
In bloom
July, when the small-leaved lime flowers and the castle park smells of it
The line is our estimate of how much there is to see, not a measurement. Typical for this species where this tree stands; exact weeks shift with the year.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from. The story was written with AI from these sources, and readers who know the tree correct it.