Chêne de Pont-sur-Seine

Pont-sur-Seine

In the park of the former château of Pont-sur-Seine, on the banks of the young Seine, this oak of more than two hundred years is said to have been the discreet witness of the passage of illustrious figures: the Prince of Saxony, owner of the estate in the 18th century, Jean Casimir-Perier, future President of the Republic, and, according to local tradition, Letizia Ramolino, the mother of Napoleon I, while travelling through the region. Its partly hollow trunk, where several generations of village children have amused themselves hiding as if in a den, testifies to a venerable age estimated at around 244 years. Long unknown beyond the village, the tree was revealed to the wider public in 2024 when it represented the Grand Est region in the national Tree of the Year competition, championed by the people of Pont-sur-Seine and the Forêt d'Orient Regional Nature Park. On 16 January 2025 it received the competition's jury prize, an official recognition of its heritage, historical and landscape value. Now labelled "Arbre remarquable de France" (Remarkable Tree of France), this old oak continues to watch over the park, between imperial memories and children's games, embodying the living memory of a small Aube village on the banks of the Seine.

Getting there : In Pont-sur-Seine, in the château park, on the banks of the Seine; free access, close to the Forêt d'Orient Regional Nature Park.

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

Ambient sound