It’s no secret that I absolutely love trees. So when I stumbled upon the Monumental Trees website, it changed my world and led me to the Kvilleken Oak tree; a truly gem of a tree located in the heart of Sweden.
Kvilleken Oak Tree
This tree has many names. We found out about the Kvilleken, Rumskulla Oak, or Kvill Oak tree through Monumental Trees. It is the thickest oak tree in all of Europe with a width of 14 meters. It is most likely the oldest oak tree in Sweden and believed to be 850 years old ± 100 years. It even has its own wikipedia page. Since the middle of the tree has rotted out, the age of the tree is unknown. It is believed that farmers may have stored some of their equipment in the middle of the tree as it was sheltered from the rain.
Our trip to Sweden centered around visiting this grand old tree. We decided to visit the Kvilleken Oak as well as the Norra Kvill National Park on our drive from Copenhagen to Stockholm. This area was also a perfect spot to pull over and camp for the night (using Sweden’s awesome camping laws).
It is quite humbling to visit a tree that has been around for hundreds of years, let alone a thousand. There’s something regal about ancient, old growth trees. To the tree, your lifetime passes by in the blink of an eye. And to see that the tree hadn’t been marred by humanity in any way gave me hope for our species.
Where is it located?
The tree is located within the Kvill Nature Reserve off a small dirt road and is about a 3 and half hour drive southwest of Stockholm, Sweden. A short walking path takes you to the tree which is fenced off from the neighboring farm. There is a picnic table right next to the tree so you can bring a lunch and enjoy the view. It took some research, but I was able to find the location of the tree.
Please, enjoy this wonderful tree and be respectful!