Millennial Oak

In this park you will find one of the most remarkable trees in Belgium. The Fat or Millennial Oak can be found at the back of the park. That mighty pedunculate oak has a trunk circumference of 6.20 meters and a height of 24 meters. The pedunculate oak is a native representative of the oak family. It has an almost unpeeled leaf, but its acorns grow on a clear stem. The pedunculate oak grows slowly and has particularly hard and durable wood. In the past, in addition to the wood and fruit (animal feed), the bark of the oaks was also appreciated, because it contains a lot of tannic acid (necessary for tanning leather). At the front left of the park you will notice the Young Oak (approx. 350 y.) and the Millennium tree (planted in 1999). They are, like the Thick Oak, pedunculate oaks.


LOCATION
The park is located about halfway between the village center of Lummen, in the southeast, and that of Meldert, in the northwest.
Scenically, it is situated on the edge of the Willekensberg and the wide valley of the Zwarte Beek.
The agricultural use in the area creates a varied picture of fields and meadows that are often surrounded by rows of trees and hedgerows; scattered are some wood edges and bushes. The whole forms a typical landscape and thanks to the local pronounced reliÙf you have beautiful views.

HISTORY
Even among the dru'den and the Celts, the oak was a sacred tree. In the Frankish era did ? The dish? four times a year a trip in her area to hold court hearings. They were held in a region where there was a more or less dense population and where ? The dish? found a decent place to stay. The hamlet of Mellaer where the court tree stands was one such residence.
The place where the Millennial Oak is located is referred to in the land register as ? The Connection?, what does it indicate ? The dish? met under the Thick Oak.
In the roll registers of ? The Landje Lummen? (end of the 17th century) it is mentioned that the condemned to death, even if the sentence was pronounced in Thiewinkel or elsewhere, for the execution of the sentence to ? The connection? were led, so to the Thick Oak.
For years, the region around the oak tree has remained virtually undeveloped. According to witnesses, that ominous place was best avoided.
Gradually, the tree has been rediscovered and the spectators flock. Together with the surrounding landscape, the tree was classified by Monuments and Sites on March 8, 1940.

CARE
Unfortunately, a number of people had little respect for the tree and its surroundings. In 1967 they even started a fire in the heart of the oak.
To protect the tree from this kind of vandalism, it seemed appropriate at the time to fill the hollow trunk with concrete. In 1973, due to the efforts of some lummenaren, the municipality proceeded to purchase the plots on which the oaks are located. No work was done on a real management, tailored to both oaks and the surrounding landscape.
In September 1983, the then very dilapidated Thick Oak and Young Oak received the attention they deserved. The domain on which they are located was renovated and the trees were cared for in collaboration with renowned tree surgeons.
However, the climate did not spare the tree. During severe summer storms in 1988, the heaviest branch blew out of the tree. The result was a wound with a diameter of about one metre and sap flow loss over about 25 % of the trunk area. The tree was helped by optimizing its location. To this end, an analysis and a permeability test of the soil under the Millennial Oak was carried out. Based on this, a soil improvement was carried out using the most modern techniques. To what extent these interventions will increase the viability of this languishing tree may remain a mystery forever. Should the worst be used

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