Beggar oak

Detail view of the beggar oak

The Betteleiche is a pedunculate oak estimated to be 600 to 800 years old in the Hainich at the intersection of the Rennstieg with the Hohe Straße. The oak, which is protected as a natural monument, is one of the oldest and most distinctive trees in Hainich and is a well-known landmark of the Hainich National Park . The tree is located on the Hainichkamm west of Mülverstedt on the edge of the forest village Ihlefeld at an altitude of 443 m above sea level. The tree height is about 13 m and the trunk circumference at chest height is 5.6 m. The begging oak now has a 2.5 m high passage.

legend

In the pre-Reformation period, a wayside shrine and a container for offerings are said to have been located in the begging corpse . These are said to have benefited Franciscans who lived in the St. Katharinen monastery on Ihlefeld and worked in the area. Due to rot and weathering, the niche has expanded to its present size over the past five hundred years.

natural reserve

The begging oak has been protected as a natural and cultural monument since 1936 because of its age and its historical significance. A circle of tree trunks was placed around their roots to protect them. It was renovated on December 19, 1994. For safety reasons, staying in the crown area had to be forbidden by the national park manager on April 13, 2015.

Others

The Betteleiche is one of the main destinations for hikes, bike tours, horse rides and chariot rides in the Hainich National Park. The Betteleichenweg is named after her, a hiking trail in the Hainich National Park, which is symbolized by the characteristic outline of the old tree. Furthermore, the Betteleiche is on the national park hiking trail Bummelkuppenweg and on the regional hiking trail Waagebalkenweg. In the vicinity there is an excursion restaurant open in summer, the stone crosses Ihlefelder Kreuz and Mülverstedter Kreuz as well as the historical signpost Iron Hand.

literature

Leaflet on the BETTELEICHENWEG of the National Park Administration (digital version) (PDF; 185 kB).
Roland Geißler: Great Hainich hiking guide. Rockstuhl Verlag, Bad Langensalza 2004. pp. 117-120.
Paul Botzum, Rainer Lämmerhirt: Desertification in the Hainich area. «Ihlefeld and the begging oak» . In: Heimat- und Verkehrsverein Mihla (Hrsg.): Westthüringer Heimatschriften . tape 5 . Verlag Rockstuhl , Bad Langensalza 2001, ISBN 3-934748-86-4 , p. 75-82 .
Harald Rockstuhl, Frank Störzner: Hainich history book. Rockstuhl Publishing House, Bad Langensalza, 1999.

Web links

Commons : Betteleiche - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Stadtverwaltung Mühlhausen (Ed. 1994): Interesting trees in Mühlhausen and the surrounding area. P. 38.
↑ Stadtverwaltung Mühlhausen (Ed. 1994): Interesting trees in Mühlhausen and the surrounding area. P. 38.
↑ Information board on the property.
^ Rockstuhl / Störzner (1999): Hainich history book. P. 70
↑ Official communication from the National Park Manager Manfred Großmann from April 13, 2015.

51.086077 10.403571Coordinates: 51 ° 5 ' N , 10 ° 24' E

[1] Stadtverwaltung Mühlhausen (Ed. 1994): Interesting trees in Mühlhausen and the surrounding area. P. 38.

[2] Stadtverwaltung Mühlhausen (Ed. 1994): Interesting trees in Mühlhausen and the surrounding area. P. 38.

[Info-3] Information board on the property.

[RS-4] Rockstuhl / Störzner (1999): Hainich history book. P. 70

[5] Official communication from the National Park Manager Manfred Großmann from April 13, 2015.