In Germany, after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, so-called victory oaks were planted in many places. Victory Day was for a time observed as Sedan Day on September 2 of each year. This day commemorated the surrender of the French army on September 2, 1870 after the Battle of Sedan. At that time, the German, i.e. Bavarian, Prussian, Württemberg and Saxon troops won the victory over the French Emperor Napoleon III, who was captured at the Battle of Sedan. The Victory Column in Berlin was also erected on this occasion in 1872. Victory oaks were also known as sedane oaks, imperial oaks or fiedense oaks and were planted specifically for this reason after the founding of the German Empire in 18972. It is not clear from the available documents whether this oak here in Walsdorf was only referred to as a victorious oak afterwards, it must have been around 130 years old at that point in time, or whether it was already customary after the 30-year war , to plant so-called victory oaks. ... (Source: information sign)
Tree species: English oak (Quercus robur), age: approx. 350 years, circumference: 4.52 m (measured), height: approx. 20.00 m In Germany, after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, so-called victory oaks were planted in many places. Victory Day was for a time observed as Sedan Day on September 2 of each year. This day commemorated the surrender of the French army on September 2, 1870 after the Battle of Sedan. At that time, the German, i.e. Bavarian, Prussian, Württemberg and Saxon troops won the victory over the French Emperor Napoleon III, who was captured at the Battle of Sedan. The Victory Column in Berlin was also erected on this occasion in 1872. Victory oaks were also known as sedane oaks, imperial oaks or peace oaks and were planted specifically for this reason after the German Empire was founded in 1872. It is not clear from the available documents whether this oak here in Walsdorf was only called a victory oak afterwards, it must have been around 130 years old at that time, or whether it was already common after the 30-year war , to plant so-called victory oaks. The peace oak Rammenau, which was planted at the end of the 30-year war in 1648, speaks for it in any case.
According to legend, the Sobieski oak was also planted by the residents of Ustron in 1683 as a kind of victory oak, in memory of the knightly procession of King Jan Sobieski's troops on their way to besieged Vienna to liberate the city from the Turks.
Oak trees have been around since the Tertiary period, i.e. for around 65 million years. Since then, a total of 400 different oak species have developed.
The Siegeseiche von Walsdorf is a hybrid form that shows both characteristics of the English oak (short-stemmed leaves) and the sessile oak (short-stemmed fruits or acorns). Oaks belong to the beech family (Fagaceae), which, under natural growth conditions, are among the most important deciduous trees in the northern hemisphere.
(Source: information sign)
Natural monument Siegeseiche Walsdorf
The purpose of protection is the preservation of the old solitary tree because of its uniqueness, beauty and rarity, its importance for the ecosystem and the town and landscape as well as its natural history and regional significance.
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