Chêne Jupiter

Fontainebleau

In the state forest of Fontainebleau, in the heart of a clearing off the route de la Tillaie, stands what was long considered the oldest oak in France. Born around the 13th century, this gigantic tree reached 35 metres in height before old age and wood-boring insects gnawed away at it. In the 19th century, the "Sylvain" Claude-François Denecourt, pioneer of forest tourism, christened it "Jupiter" in homage to the king of the Roman gods, after it had borne the more modest name of "Bouquet du Prince Impérial". Painters and walkers of the Romantic era came to admire it as a living curiosity, a silent witness to seven or eight centuries of forest history. Gnawed by wood-boring larvae for decades, the tree was declared dead in 1993; its branches were cut off the following year for safety, leaving only a barkless trunk several metres high. Classed as a remarkable tree of international interest by the Office national des forêts, the Chêne Jupiter still stands, surrounded by a fence, like a natural sculpture and a symbol of the past grandeur of the forest of Fontainebleau. Its bare silhouette continues to draw walkers and tree-lovers who come to pay their respects before this veteran petrified by time.

Getting there : From Fontainebleau, follow the route de la Tillaie into the state forest; car park nearby, then a few minutes' walk to the clearing surrounded by a protective fence.

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

Ambient sound