Tilleul de Réaumont

Réaumont

Planted, according to tradition, at the very end of the 14th century, at a time when France was still nursing the wounds of the Hundred Years' War, the lime tree of Réaumont has seen more than six hundred years of village life grow up in its shade. Gatherings after Mass, fairs, impromptu council meetings: generation after generation of villagers have followed one another beneath its branches, making it far more than a mere tree — a true shared heritage that the inhabitants have taken to heart to preserve. Its trunk, like that of most very old limes, has gradually hollowed and split; as early as 1891, masonry work was undertaken to shore it up, completed in the year 2000 by controlled hollowing and metal braces to support its weakened form. The commune even diverted the road that passed too close to it and created a protective grassed area all around. Elected Tree of the Year in 2013, this lime continues, despite considerable internal wounds, to unfurl each spring a fragrant and generous canopy. It is today the beating heart of the Festival de l'Arbre organised by the neighbouring Maison de l'Arbre, which celebrates each year the living memory of this elder of the Isère.

Getting there : In the centre of the village of Réaumont, close to the Maison de l'Arbre, which every year organises the Festival de l'Arbre around this lime tree

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound