The oak of the groom: Deutschys Historical Dating agency

It feels a bit like walking through an enchanted fairytale forest when you visit the groom’s oak in the Dodauer forest in Schleswig-Holstein on a cold, foggy winter day. And how many fairy tales are the old oak about one thing: love.

The several hundred-year-old tree is a dating agency and the only tree in Germany with its own postal address. Everyone who writes Bräutenigamsiche, Dodauer Forst, 23701 Eutin, Germany Could get an answer from the love of your life. The history of the tree as a matchmaker is no coincidence; It is based on a true story that, like most fairy tales, has a happy ending.

The daughter of a Dodauer forester and the son of a chocolate manufacturer from Leipzig loved himself. However, her parents rejected the union. So the couple secretly wrote letters to each other, which it laid out in a knight in the oak. Ultimately, their parents were persuaded to change their opinion, and the lovers married in 1891. Of course they got married under “their” tree.

After that, more and more couples began to use the tree as a mailbox. In 1927, a ladder was placed against the trunk to reach the approximately 2.5 meter high knight’s hole.

Letters from all over the world

Even today, the postman comes with letters from all over the world several times a week, reports Forester Jörn Siemens, who is responsible for the almost 600 hectare Dodau Forstwirtschaftsviertel. He receives 10 to 15 letters a week. The knothole is also well filled this morning. This includes letters and postcards from Michigan and Chicago in the USA as well as from England and Canada. “This is Tinder 130 years ago,” says Siemens. Incidentally, the confidentiality of correspondence does not apply to the letters in the tree. Many are read on site and some are taken home from home and answered.

The letter authors are certainly ready to pay a fair price for their letters. According to the Forester, the shipping interest rates of 18 or 19 US dollars are not unusual. The money could be spent well, since it has been proven that the oak tree has brought several couples together, of which at least ten marry, loudly Eutin tourism. A postman that used to deliver letters to the groom’s oak, also hit his wife through the tree.

The success stories of the tree of Schleswig Holstein, a successful meeting point, certainly contribute to its popularity. Media from all over the world report on the groom’s oak, including Mongolian radio. Foreign film crews like Japan often use the tree as a location for reports and feature films.

However, the tree continues to enjoy great popularity in Germany. “There is something going on here every day,” reports Jörn Siemens. When the weather is good, many tour buses arrive, drop by the oak tree and then continue to the nearby locations of the Immenhof films.

The groom’s oak and the TV show “Do you understand fun?”

The popularity of the oak landed Siemens almost on the television program “Understand fun” (you understand fun). “A few years ago, a Chinese couple stood in the forest with an interpreter and claimed that they had bought the tree and brought it back to China,” reports Siemens.

He quickly realized that it was a joke. “The oak tree is a natural monument, and it is not something that you will only sell.” In addition, the cameras and the Broadcast van were not very well hidden. The report was not broadcast.

Legends and customs surrounding the oak

Famous people often have their own legend that surrounds their origin. The son of a Celtic prince is said to have been bound by his enemies in the forest. A Christian girl is said to have freed him. As a thank you, he planted the oak tree. However, experts believe that Christian missionaries have invented history.

And even if you have already found your partner, the oak tree can help you in love questions. According to a modern custom, a girl has to walk around the tree three times during a full moon without laughing. She has to think of her lover. Then the wedding should take place within a year.