Süntel Beech Avenue in the spa park of Bad Nenndorf

Germany's largest Süntelbuchenallee in Bad Nenndorf

Children stand in front of it in amazement, but adults are also enthusiastic about the crooked things: the Süntelbuchen-Allee in the spa park is something very special. This is a rare form of the European beech that was planted almost a hundred years ago and has been growing in a zigzag since then. The trees grow more in width than in height and rarely reach a height of more than 15 meters. The growth form is caused by a genetic defect, the cause of which is still unclear.
The vernacular calls the bizarre tree shapes "witchwood". The avenue has recently been renatured with great attention to detail and is around 500 meters long.

The name "Süntelbuche" comes from the occurrence in the Süntel, a small mountain
train around 15 km southwest of Bad Nenndorf. There were until the middle of the 19th century
there the largest beech forest in Europe - today there are still around 50 locations
old specimens or small groups of trees.

The Süntelbuchenallee is located in the spa gardens of Bad Nenndorf and is signposted within the park. Access to the park is free and open all year round.
The Kur- und Tourismusgesellschaft Bad Nenndorf offers botanical park tours for groups and individual guests.
Source (badnenndorf.de/freizeit-and-erammlung/ausflugstipps/kurpark-mit-deutschlands-groesster-suentelbuchenallee/neue-seite/)

The Süntelbuche is a rare form of the common beech. It impresses with its special growth form: short, twisted trunks as well as crippled and overgrown branches. Süntelbuchen grow more in width than in height. They rarely get higher than 15-20 meters. Due to their zigzag growth, Süntelbuchen were often referred to as witchwood or devil's beech, because they were viewed as haunted or spoiled by the devil. The name Süntelbuche comes from the fact that they often appeared in the Süntel, a mountain range near Bad Nenndorf. Until the middle of the 19th century there was the largest beech forest in Europe. Today you can still find individual copies there at around 50 locations. The rarity of the trees also has to do with the fact that other tree species prevailed because their straight growth makes them better suited for construction and furniture production. It is also not ideal as a supplier of firewood because the beech trees grow so slowly. And you can't stack such crooked wood very well either. The Süntelbuchenallee has been renatured in recent years with great attention to detail. It is approx. 500 m long and houses over 100 trees over 100 years old as well as numerous replanting. Due to the slow growth, it takes quite a long time for Süntelbuchen to show their characteristic shape. Such a high number of Süntelbuchen in one place is an absolute specialty worldwide! In order to preserve this treasure for a long time to come, it is incredibly important not to climb on them, not walk around on the roots or even damage the bark. There is therefore a clearly defined area on the avenue where visitors can stroll through the avenue.

It's just nice to walk through there!