Entwined oaks voted Most Beautiful Tree in Mechelen: “The emotional story was the deciding factor” (Mechelen)

Not only are the results of the municipal elections known, the Most Beautiful Tree in Mechelen has also been elected. That honor is reserved for a monumental oak. It is actually two trees, but over the years they became intertwined. The emotional story of the tree was the deciding factor.

The Most Beautiful Tree in Mechelen can now be found on the Bleukenweg in Heffen. It concerns two intertwined oak trees that were planted many decades ago. “We held the competition for the second time and again received a lot of nominations. Some of those entries also had a moving story attached to them. This is also the case with the winning oaks,” says councilor for Nature and Green Development Patrick Princen (For Mechelen).

The tree was submitted by Els Lambrechts. It is her story that was decisive for the jury. “She said that the trees were planted by her grandfather, who actually regretted that he had placed them too close together at the time,” says Princen. “But Els thought the intertwined trees were special. As a child and teenager she used the place to relax. The trees have a lot of meaning to her.”

Wellness treatment

The trees receive official recognition from the city and submitter Els receives a voucher of 50 euros to spend on the group purchase Tree seeks Ground from the city. In addition, the oak trees, one of which was damaged in the storm in July, receive a wellness treatment by a certified arborist. With the victory, the intertwined oaks succeed the large summer lime at the Sint-Anna Chapel in Leest.

The podium is completed by the pedunculate oak in the middle of Mechels Broek in second place and the monumental beech in the Botanical Garden in third place. “We remain committed to keeping our monumental trees, the oldest or veteran trees, in good health for as long as possible with our care plan,” says Princen.