On 22 September, an oak sapling was planted not far from the Alexander Palace to replace an old oak tree felled by a hurricane on 11th July.
The lost oak was planted during the reign of Emperor Alexander I. With its trunk diameter of 100 cm (39.4 inches), the over 200-year-old tree stood 27 meters (88.6 feet) tall on the Children's Meadow close to the White Tower and the Children's Island. It served as the dominant feature of the meadow area and played a key role in shaping the picturesque scenery of this part of the park.
The young pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), a.k.a. English or European or common oak, is a descendant of the park's oldest oak whose acorns were gathered during the Heir's Oak action held by our museum back in October 2011. It took over a decade for the oak "descendants" to become saplings ready to grow in the park.
The new tree was planted by Director Olga Taratynova of Tsarskoe Selo together with Rector Nikolay Tsiskaridze of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, a school of classical ballet in St Petersburg.
Another oak sapling from Tsarskoe Selo will be planted in the courtyard of the Academy on 23 September 2026.
