Gros Tilleul de Samoëns

Samoëns

On the main square, a stone's throw from the market hall, a large-leaved lime of some twenty metres dominates the village; its trunk, seated on a stone kerb where people have come to sit since the dukes of Savoy, has lost some of its regularity with age, but vigorous shoots grow on top and the tree is still harmonious in summer. The sign gives it 9.80 m in girth; a careful measurer found only 6 m at one metre from the ground in 2010, and 7.60 m at the base. Tradition, taken up by the commune and by Wikipedia, has it planted in 1438 to celebrate a judgement of Duke Amadeus VIII: in 1431, the duke had granted the inhabitants the right to meet every Whitsun to elect four syndics, 'as exist in his other good towns', and he had four pastures held by the abbey of Aulps restored to them, Frétérolle, Chardonnière, Vigny and Cuidex, which brought the community's alpine pastures to seven. From these seven mountains is said to come the name of Septimontains borne by the inhabitants, an etymology Wikipedia judges apocryphal, the old usage being Samoisiens. The town hall, cautiously, speaks of a judgement of 1438 confirming the usufruct of eight mountain massifs, admits that the tree could go back to Count Amadeus VI and does not assert the planting date. Emblem of the municipal spirit, the lime has remained the place of assemblies and festivities, sung by the poets of the region; it is said to have been a listed site since 14 June 1909 according to Wikipedia (the town hall simply mentions a listing under the 1906 law, without a precise date), and the commune maintains and lights it.

Wikipédia — Gros tilleul de Samoëns ↗

Getting there : Samoëns is some twenty kilometres east of Cluses by the D 902 and the D 907 (to be checked); the lime is on the central, pedestrianised square, beside the market hall, with free car parks a few minutes away. Free access all year round; the market is held around it. The village is part of the Grand Massif, a resort open in summer and winter alike.

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

Ambient sound