Klerken Brown Kriek Pear

Winner Tree of the Year 2022!

The tree is 10 m tall, has a circumference of 200cm and is 102 years old.

This brown cherry pear was planted in the 1920s and is without a doubt part of Klerken's cultural heritage. In 1778 the species was cultivated for the first time in the Antwerp district of Schoonbroek (omitted from seed) by tree grower K. Finet. From there, the tree spread further into Flanders and also ended up in Klerken.

The brown cherry pear has contributed to Klerken's identity. For example, a fair was organized in this West Flemish village at the same time as the Perelaarommegang, at which the inhabitants of Klerken sold their 'oestpertjes' to the fairgoers and the servants of Saint Lawrence, Laurentius, (the omitted) the patron saint of the village church. The pears were therefore also called Laupertjes, a reference to the name of St. Lawrence. In the period after the First World War, processions were organized in Klerken in honor of Saint Lawrence. Later, in the 60s and 70s, Perelaar tours were organized with a nod to the past: the Perelaarommegang. A reference to this can still be seen in a certain street in the village, the Perelaarommegangstraat. Soon, the tradition of pear parades from the past will be revived and reorganized in Klerken.

Boom van het jaar