"The Platinum Jubilee Oak" has been planted in the grounds of Sarny Castle (Poland), member of the ERHG

The planting ceremony was leaded by Łukasz Przybylak (Vice president of the European Route of Historic Gardens - official Cultural Route of Council of Europe) and Martin Sobczyk (Co-owner of the Estate) accompanied by the national television and the Representatives of the local Authorities.

The event has been also noticed by the British Embassy in Warsaw which Representatives were also invited to attend the ceremony.

We are happy to share that with the reference to the correspondence in late 2021 and summer 2022 between the Sarny Castle Trust (Martin Marius Sobczyk), Vice president of the European Route of Historic Gardens (Łukasz Przybylak) with the Keeper of the Archive and Secretary to the then TRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, "The Platinum Jubilee Oak" has been planted on 26.10.2022 in the grounds of Sarny Castle (Poland). Sarny Castle was visited by the then Prince of Wales in 2010 as a potential site for the Prince's restoration project (similar to the one in Zalánpatak - Romania).

The Pedunculate Oak was planted in the exact place of the former 120-years old solitaire oak tree that has fallen due the hurricane in 2019 and is marked by an enamel plaque designed by Łukasz Przybylak. Tree is located in the listed, picturesque park redesigned in 1880 by Eduard Petzold - the very famous Prussian landscape designer and pupil of Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau. The entire site is under an ongoing restoration since 2014 leaded by the Sarny Castle Trust and coordinated by Łukasz Przybylak, specialist in historic gardens restoration.

The planting ceremony was leaded by Łukasz Przybylak (Vice president of the European Route of Historic Gardens - official Cultural Route of Council of Europe) and Martin Sobczyk (Co-owner of the Estate) accompanied by the national television and the Representatives of the local Authorities including the Lower Silesian Conservator of Monuments and the representatives of the European Eduard Petzold Centre for Garden Art (ECSO) and the Kamieniec Palace. The event has been also noticed by the British Embassy in Warsaw which Representatives were also invited to attend the ceremony.The Vice president of ERHG said in his opening speech:"(...) Dear Guests, let's proceed together to plant The Platinum Jubilee Oak. Today, at the Sarny Castle we celebrate European cultural unity and broadly understood historical continuity".

The name of the tree was suggested by the Keeper of the Archive and Secretary to the late TRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and at the same time it is the very first tree in Poland named after the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II. Sarny Castle that is a member of the European Route of Historic Gardens since 2021 appear as well as the second historic site among the members of ERHG that took part in "The Queen's Green Canopy" project. On the 9th of June 2022 the pedunculate oak has been also planted in the Georgengarten of the Herrenhausen Gardens in Hannover. Sarny Castle and Herrenhausen Gardens are at the same time the only gardens among the ERHG Members who had commemorate the Jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II so far.

Photocredits: ECSO, Barbara Adamska