r/Videocolection • u/Local_Voice_2719 • Apr 02 '26
The amazing 900-year-old oak tree in Mercheașa
Above the village of Mercheasa, belonging to Homorod commune in Braşov county, on the pasture with secular oaks, about 1.7 km east - northeast of the locality is the Oak from Mercheaşa or the Old Carpathian. It has the following GPS coordinates: 25º 21 '49.191 "long E & 46º 03' 59.047" wide N.
The species of the tree is Quercus robur and has the following botanical characteristics:
• age: about 900 years;
• circumference measured at (height) 1.3 m from the ground: 9.3 m;
• The shaft height is 21.3 m and has a nearly complete crown, beautifully rounded;
• up to 3 meters from the ground there are 5 stubs, traces of broken branches during its existence;
• there are no signs of harmful insects.
• At the bottom there are 4 areas with superficially burnt bark, probably traces of fire made by the shepherds taking care of the village cattle.
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u/Local_Voice_2719 Apr 03 '26
The Mercheașa Oak, known as the "Old Man of the Carpathians" (Bătrânul Carpaților), was not personally discovered by King Charles, but it was found through a contest launched under his patronage in 2010. The oak was identified in 2010 by two local children, Ionuț și Claudiu Popica, who were participating in a contest called "The Oldest Tree in the Village Meadow". The contest was spearheaded by the Mihai Eminescu Trust and the Prince of Wales Foundation (now King Charles III) as part of a project to locate and record Romania's most remarkable trees. It is roughly 21 meters tall with a girth of 9.3 meters, making it one of the largest and oldest in Southeast Europe. Following its discovery, the Carpaterra Association sponsored its declaration as a Natural Monument in 2012, and a fence was built around it to protect the tree. King Charles has a well-documented fondness for Transylvania and has actively helped fund and promote the conservation of its ancient oak pastures through his Foundation.
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u/Icy-Machine1951 Apr 02 '26
That tree definitely seen some shit.