Caesarsboom (Caesar's Tree) is a very old tree whose precise age is unknown but is believed to be over 2000 years in age. The ancient tree grows in Lo, a town in Lo-Reninge, a municipality of the province of West-Vlaanderen of Belgium. Its species is Taxus baccata, common name European Yew.[1][2][3] The tree is designated a national monument of Belgium.[4]
According to a long-held local legend, Julius Caesar stopped at this tree during his military campaign in the area en route to Britannia in 55 BC, tied his horse to it, and took a nap in the shadow of its foliage.[5][1][2][3][4][6][7] According to one source, although the road passing by the tree might date from the era of Imperial Rome, it is not likely that Julius Caesar came to this area.[4]
The tree grows beside the last extant city gate, of four medieval arches built in the 14th century (and restored both in 1852 and 1991); at the time the town was less than 400 meters in diameter. Caesarsboom stands adjacent to a house called "Het Damberd" ("The Draught-board House") which written sources from 1499 show once housed the oldest of the four breweries which used to exist in the town of Lo. [1][2][3][7]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c Virtual Tourist: Reninge Travel Guide
- ^ a b c [1] Flags Of The World website: Lo-Reninge (Municipality, Province of West Flanders, Belgium)
- ^ a b c [2] A Short Guide to Lo
- ^ a b c Walking the Walls: Kent County Council, le Syndicat Mixte de la Côte d'Opale and the Province of West Flanders Archived 2006-03-10 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Cycling Belgium's Waterways". Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
- ^ Website van V.V.V. Lo-Reninge vzw: Westpoort en Caesarsboom Archived 2008-09-20 at the Wayback Machine (in Dutch)
- ^ a b [3] Archived 2008-08-18 at the Wayback Machinede Westhoek, pure vakantieland (in Dutch)