The oldest tree in Kazan

 

Weymouth pine (Pinus strobus L.), age 256 years, Kazan, March 2024

In Kazan there are three lakes connected by channels, they appeared on the site of the former large bend of the Volga River. These are the Lower Kaban Lake, located in the historical center of Kazan, the largest of the three lakes - the Middle Kaban Lake, which stretches from the Kazan Zoo in the Vakhitovsky district to the Farmers' Highway in the Privolzhsky district, in the southern part of the city, and the smallest of the three lakes - the Upper Kaban Lake, even further south. 

Lake Nizhny Kaban, Kazan, May 2023

The total area of the lake system is 186 hectares. The places are beautiful and populated. 

In 1665 metropolitan Lavrentiy founded in Kazan on a picturesque place opposite the Sredny Kaban lake on the top of a hill the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery, similar to the one founded 9 years earlier by Patriarch Nikon on the Istra River in the Moscow region. Until the XX centuary it was the archbishop's palace, popularly called "archbishop's dachas".

The Resurrection New Jerusalem  Monastery has the status of the "Cultural heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation of regional significance" (Reg. No. 161721045620005).

The detailed history of the monastery can be read at ruviki.ru

The stand at the arch of the entrance to the monastery

The Cathedral of the Resurrection (foreground) and the building with the fraternal cells (background)

I would like to tell you about an old park, which was created in the XVIII century on the territory of the monastery, in its eastern part. The avenues of firs, larches, pines and lindens were laid out in such a way that the avenues formed the initials И.Х. (Jesus Christ) in the Cyrillic alphabet.

On the right - the building of the temple of the Iveron Mother of God (by the gate at the entrance to the monastery), on the left - the site of the temple destroyed by the bolsheviks (the bell remains).

One of the park's alleys

Catherine the Great and her pine tree

In 1767 Catherine II visited the monastery. It is believed that she planted a pine tree, which was named "Catherine's". In my humble opinion, Catherine II could not have personally planted this tree for the simple reason that she was passing through Kazan in July, the hottest month of the year. Most likely, she brought seeds with her, given to her by the settlers of North America, and they were planted in the fall. The stand says that the pine is a bismuth pine, but such a pine does not exist. Moreover, it is strange that the settlers of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands brought Catherine II seeds of pines that grow in the east of America, and not in the west. But this is the legend, let us not be too strict.

In 1767 a Weymouth pine (Pinus strobus L.) was planted, which is now the oldest tree in Kazan (256 years in March 2024). The age was determined by experts using radial cores. The tree has a height of 29 meters, the Weymouth pine in nature can reach 50 meters. It can be hugged by only three people. It has an unusual crown and strong, thick branches. The pine looks like a healthy strong tree in its 256 years.

It takes three people to hug a pine tree

The Weymouth pine (Pinus strobus L.),

The Weymouth pine (Pinus strobus L.), or eastern white pine, grows in the eastern part of the North American continent, in the Great Lakes region. The pine is named in honor of the English navigator George Weymouth, who brought its seeds to England in 1620 and planted them. Although his pine did not take root, due to the high qualities of Weymouth pine wood - soft wood without knots, without cracks, easy to work even a year after cutting - it was widely used in the XVIII century by the British Royal Navy in shipbuilding and by settlers - in everyday life and for building houses. Prior to the arrival of Europeans on the continent, Weymouth pine occupied vast areas, forming primeval forests, but predation led to a decline in the population, especially of the largest and oldest trees. To be fair, the conservation status of the species is maintained as Least Concern.

Crown of a Weymouth pine (Pinus strobus L.)

Weymouth pine belongs to the five-needle pines (like Siberian pine - Pinus sibirica L.), it was acclimatized to Europe, it is more resistant to lack of light than the common pine known to us, but more demanding to humidity, after all, in the Great Lakes region humidity is high, poorly frost-resistant, so it is grown in the southern regions of temperate latitudes. I could not see the cones, they should be narrow and elongated (10-20 cm long), with a slight bend. The Weymouth Pine bears fruit every three to five years in its native habitat and is very important for birds and animals that feed on its seeds and needles.

Magnificent Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens Engelm.) in the park

Many famous people visited the monastery and the park. At the beginning of the 20th century Leo Tolstoy liked to walk in the park, and in his memory the Tolstov Alley was laid out, John of Kronstadt visited the monastery, and in more ancient times the place was the summer residence and burial place of the Kazan Khans. 

But writing about celebrities is not my vocation, except for botanists and plant collectors, but they were not there. So I gave you a seedling, so you can search for historical information yourself.

Norway spruce trees (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) are planted in a row

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