The Hollow Oak of Houthem

The Hollow Oak

The Hollow Oak is a well-known concept in the town of Houthem – Sint Gerlach.
Saint Gerlachus is said to have lived in it and the village pub is also called that.

But there is now also a real hollow oak tree near Houthem. This tree stands as a loner in the field north of the Kloosterbosch and has now become hollow on the lower side due to old age, lightning strikes and disease.
It was probably planted there to mark the footpath between the fields for the farmers.
This tree was also used as a landmark by cartographers. He is said to have already been seen on maps commissioned by Napoleon. I myself was able to discover it on a map of 1864.
However, experts estimate the age of this solitary oak to be 250 to 300 years!
So literally and figuratively an "old tough one"...

Raymond Oostwegel