Political beech

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Political beech Niederwartha, state 2018

The Political Beech is a natural monument in Dresden . It stands in the Kleditschgrund in the Dresden district of Niederwartha and is one of the memorial trees in Dresden .

description

The political beech is a common beech (Fagus sylvatica) , the location is not far from the course of the Kleditschgrundbach . On November 7, 1951, the then still independent community Niederwartha placed the beech tree under protection for botanical and historical reasons. The district of Dresden-Land took over the protection status in 1958. In 2017, the tree had an approximate height of 25 meters and a circumference of 4.05 meters.

In autumn 2017, probably in the wake of the Herwart storm , the beech tree suffered a major break in the crown about 6 meters above the ground. Due to the remote location, however, this demolition was only determined by the environmental agency in December 2017. The broken off dead wood was left on site and is still under protection , as is the remaining trunk .

Political symbols

Incisions

The eponymous specialty of the beech are various political symbols and lettering that were carved into the bark . The most striking shape is a left-angled swastika . This was apparently carved into the trunk in order to cover the symbol of the Iron Front , three arrows pointing downwards. In addition, the writing KPD ( Communist Party of Germany ) and SED ( Socialist Unity Party of Germany ) can be seen. The time of origin of the oldest incisions is dated to before 1933. Local historians suspect that the very remote Kleditschgrund was used as a secret meeting place for political groups in the 1930s. The SED lettering is a testimony to the GDR era, and incisions were also made after the fall of the Wall ( FDP ( Free Democratic Party )). In addition to the political inscriptions, there are numerous other, sometimes illegible, lettering and initials on the trunk of the beech tree.

Since the crown was demolished in autumn 2017 at a height of 6 meters, the incisions on the remaining trunk remained.

Web links

Commons : Naturdenkmal Politische Buche im Kleditschgrund  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Melitta-Ruth Konopka: "Green Monuments" in Dresden. pagewizz.com, June 17, 2018, accessed November 7, 2019 .
  2. ^ State capital Dresden, Environment Agency (ed.): Water profile Kleditschgrundbach. March 2, 2012, p. 7.
  3. ↑ a b Stefan Schramm: A historical testimony dies - the Political Book in Niederwartha. Dresden Latest News, February 18, 2019, accessed on November 7, 2019 .

Coordinates: 51 ° 5 ′ 41.4 "  N , 13 ° 35 ′ 45"  E