Old Acacia tree at castle Doorwerth
An Acacia from the 17th century is located in the courtyard of castle Doorwerth. It is one of the oldest of its kind in western Europe.
It was most likely planted in 1678 in honor of the peace negotiations in Nijmegen by Anton I Count of Aldenburg. These negotiations ended the war with France.
For the occasion, Anton had organized a hunting party for international guests. In total, he planted a total of three acacias in his courtyard.
Origin Acacia tree
The Frenchman Verpasien Robin introduced the tree in Europe in 1635 from North America. He did so first in Paris in the Jardin des Plantes.
The other two acacias
At the end of the 19th century, two of the three were felled.
A tough Acacia
The third and last still living tree would quietly continue to grow in the 19th century. Miraculously, it even survived the grenade fire of the Second World War. The castle itself came out of the war a lot less well.
In 1965, Jorn Copijn, tree surgeon, took care of it. As a result, the acacia again developed a new leaf crown.
From 2010 the tree began to slope to the east side. To prevent having to take worse action, the crown was cut back by a third.
In 2016, the acacia was again drastically pruned to bring the crown back into balance.
