Monstranzenbaum

On my way to my mother’s house (where we had coffee with old friends of hers), I briefly stopped at the Monstranzenbaum near Frauenstein for a short walk in the forest. 

The name means “monstrance tree”. Legend has it that an abbess from a nearby Cistercian monastery hid a valuable monstrance in the forest, during a war in Medieval times, and planted an oak on the spot to mark the place. 

The old oak became a local landmark, but it fell in 2009 and now only its huge trunk is left, next to a hiking trail. 

I liked the contrast between the decaying wood and the fresh green on the living trees around it.