It is located in the village of Vuves, of
Kolimpari municipality in Chania, Crete.
With a
circumference of 12.5 meters, 3.64
meters in diameter and a surface area of 11.45 m2, it’s consider the biggest
Olive tree in the world.
It is aged 2500 - 5000 years old. The
importance of this Olive tree was highlighted in 1922 by the municipality member
Mr. Polychronis Polichronidis and this Olive tree was declared a natural
monument No. ap.105497/6459/1986 (656/TV/1986).
The olive tree is in the backyard of the house of
Karapatakis family and is a monument visited by hundreds of tourists every
year.
The age of the Olive tree can not be 100% determined,
because the radioactive method can’t be applied, due to absence of inside wood
material (kardioxilo). The absence of the inside wood material, consider as a
result of the old age of the tree.
The age of this Olive tree, can be approximately
determined by the perimeter of the trunk. There is no other recorded tree with such
girth so can the olive is to be declared as the eldest (?) of our planet and the biggest for sure.
In the region have been discovered two
cemeteries dated back to 700 B.C. suggestive of ancient cities, which were
related to this Olive tree. There are also other ancient olive trees that
reveal the existence of an ancient Olive grove.
This Olive tree is up today luxuriant and
fruitful.
This specific Olive tree, was associated with the Olympic Games of Athens in 2004.
The winner of the Marathon was crowned with a
wreath (Kotinos) made of this Olive tree.
The
Kolimpari municipality suggested the embassy of China the winner of the Marathon
of the 2008 Olympic Games to be crowned by a wreath from this Olive tree.
