The Plane Tree of Sint-Katelijne-Waver

Winner Tree of the Year 2022

The tree is 32.8 meters tall, has a circumference of 769 cm, and is 215 years old.

This remarkable tree can call itself the thickest single-stemmed plane tree in Belgium and is the pride of the youth center Roosendael. The tree stands on the former abbey site of Roosendael, a Cistercian abbey likely founded in 1221 by the daughters of Gillis Berthout, lord of Berlaar. After the abbey was repeatedly looted and destroyed in the 16th century, it was sold after the French Revolution and converted into a private retreat.
In the 19th century, the impressive English landscape park was created. Since 1959, the estate has served as a youth center for school groups and youth associations. It is a nature reserve and protected landscape with beautifully restored historic buildings, including the 16th-century Pest House and an 18th-century Gatehouse and Coach House. Since 2004, the Kempens Landscape Foundation has owned the site and a dedicated team manages the park, which is gradually being upgraded as described in the landscape management plan.

Boom van het jaar