Platanus orientalis
This cache will show you the oldest tree in Ohrid, and maybe in all Macedonia!
In the middle of Krushevska Republika Square in the Lower Town of Ohrid, a very old plane tree grows. This tree (scientific name of plane tree is Platanus orientalis) is locally know as Chinar (C?nar, also spelled Chinar; Cinar is a Turkic word meaning "plane tree," derived from the Persian word chenar).
The Ohrid chinar in the past
The age of this tree is hard to estimate: according to some data its age is supposedly 900 year, some data even mention the age of 1100 years! However, most realistic estimations set the tree age on about 600 years.
People from Ohrid say that the hollow trunk of the tree has housed a barber's shop and later a very small cafe! (For comparison about living in hollow tree trunk read also amazing “Birds without wings”, a novel by Louis de Bernieres).
The Ohrid chinar today
The plane tree remembers better times, of course! Nowadays only remnants of the crown are left, however until the last branch and the last root live, the Ohrid “chinar” will compete the “World oldest tree competition” !
The cache is often missing, so until my next visit to Ohrid, A PHOTOLOG is accepted !!! In fact, this is a good way for me to see how do you look, my fellow geocachers
Sources: Internet sources. Photos: Internet.