Old Olive Tree of Mirovica

The olive at Mirovica near Bar is generally reckoned to be more than two thousand years old, which would make it one of the oldest trees in Europe, and it still produces fruit. The trunk is hollow and split into what look like separate stems, fenced and propped, with the crown still green above. Local tradition held that feuding families had to meet and settle their quarrels under it. The surrounding grove holds many other very old trees.

What you actually see

• The trunk - hollow and split, propped and fenced after two thousand years.
• The living crown - the tree still leafing and fruiting above the ruined trunk.
• The surrounding grove - many other very old olives in the same plantation.
• The reconciliation tradition - the custom of settling family quarrels beneath it.

When to go

Year round; the tree is accessible in daylight hours. Harvest in autumn is when the grove is worked. Mornings are quietest.

Honest expectations

It is a single tree and the visit takes twenty minutes. The age is a traditional estimate rather than a dated measurement. The site is fenced and the tree is viewed from outside the enclosure.

Nearby

Stari Bar is nearby, and Bar is on the coast.