Stelmužė
Stelmužė is a village in Zarasai district municipality of Lithuania. There is a wooden chapel built in 1650 not using saws or iron nails; it is the oldest wooden religious building in Lithuania. Stelmužė is also known for the Tower of Slaves (Lithuanian: Vergų bokštas), a rectangular building constructed of stone and bricks in the 18th century, used for imprisonment of serfs.
The village is famous for its Stelmužė Oak, the oldest in Lithuania and one of the oldest in Europe.[1] The oak is about one and a half thousand years old.
Legends
Elderly people were tells about treasures under the roots of Stelmužė, or stories that you can enter the hollow oak and descend into the underworld from there. Other legends are about how the Stelmužė's oak top went missing. It is believed that the tree top was required to stop the evil king: serfs cut it off and blocked the road so that the angry lord could not pass. [2]
References
- ↑ (Lithuanian) Stelmužės ąžuolas (The Oak of Stelmužė) - Lithuanian site about the oak tree.
- ↑ http://www.lithuania.travel/en-gb/attractions/folklore-and-legends-great-oak-stelmuze-and-puntukas-stone/17142
Coordinates: 55°49′39″N 26°13′11″E / 55.82750°N 26.21972°E