A Mythical Lime Tree from Felsőmocsolád & Other Incredible Tree Stories

Many years ago, after a devastating forest fire, this lime tree gave the seeds to revive the woods, with the help of a “garabonciás”. According to the story, the tree has become one with the garabonciás and now protects the forest with magic power.

The story  was preserved by the Bánó family, who were living in the area. It is still a tradition for them that the youngest family members are introduced to the "old man".

Because of this saying the village is well-known in the Carpathian basin. The saying has a sad origin. During the 1848 revolution a villager shot over the Austrian General Heydte. The general revenged this action burning down the village and killing the attackers. 

51 villagers were killed leaving 106 orphans. Near the elm, along the centuries a water mill functioned that had a great role in the life of the villagers. It was not only a place for cereal grinding but also an important meeting place where personal and community problems were discussed.

The 700 years old elm tree is the only memory of the old village of Galitsa devastated by plague in 19th century. Back then, only an old watermill had remained after the awful disaster. It was run by Hadji Dobril and his blind grand-daughter Zlatitsa. 

As a former dancer from the local Ottoman bey harem she was used to dancing around all the time and cheer up the people who had come to mill their grains. Once Zlatitsa fell asleep after dancing the whole day. While she was sleeping the Hadji Dobril apprentice Jano took several drops of the tree sap and put it onto the girl’s eyes. 

When she woke up her voice could be heard in the whole valley: “I can see! I can see!” Since then the elm tree is believed to make every wish come true.

On the place where in the 11th Century the town of Lipany (Lime town) was founded, grew a sacred old Slavic lime forest. The trees started falling till there were only seven limes left. Until the 16th Century, the town was called Seven Limes (Septemthillis in Latin or Héthárs in Hungarian).

This lime grows by St. Martin’s church. It used to be a symbol of a closed agreement on sacred land – any agreement signed on the sacred land under the lime tree in the presence of two witnesses had an official status – it worked as if it was notarized. The connection between Lipany and lime trees is not only a play on words, but a true story and a deep relationship. 

Nowadays, there are seven lime trees in the coat of arms of the town. Hundreds of limes grow in and around the town. However, the lime by St. Martin’s church is one of the most beautiful and people treat it as the town’s “honorary freeman”.

The oak is related to the XIX  century history of the fortress in Dęblin, built by the Russian governor of the Congress Kingdom of Poland. In 1920 the oak was witness to the war of the Polish army led by Józef Piłsudski against the Bolsheviks; a war decisive to the lot of  Europe.

 It is believed that the oak has the power of making wishes come true: you have to put left hand to the bole and say wish in a whisper.

The alley consist of total of 32 trees and the local castle nearby the alley is a home from intellectually disabled girls and women.

Originally the alley was mainly oaks - it stabilized the banks of two ponds. Step by step the oaks were being replaced by lime trees and thus we can see 450 years old oaks next to just a hundred years old limes in the alley. Ponds were dried up and so the trees now border a pathway.

  In 1991, Élise Inversin, a shepherdess, was clearing the underwood in the neighbourhood near her house, in order to limit fire hazards frequent in the Corsican scrub, and protect her sheep. By doing so, she discovered a tree buried there for years under gravel.

Straight away she realized how ancient it was: between 800 - 1000 years old! On the 8th of July 2000, the neighbourhood was engulfed in flames. When the firemen arrived to protect her villa, she stoped them: “A house, you can build it again. But that tree will never be replaced if it burns!”