Kongeegen, or the 1,500 year old “King’s Oak,” is deep inside a forest called Jægerspris Nordskov in Denmark. The tree is named after 19th century King Frederik VII, who owned a nearby castle with his wife, the Countess Danner. It is a national treasure and one of northern Europe’s oldest living oak trees.  

Getting there meant a two-mile hike through the woods with guests Anders Jensen of the Danish Tree Association and forest historian Helle Serup of The Green Museum. They tell the biological story of Kongeegen, and how Denmark sees its forests. 

But there is also a love story - a tangled affair between the unconventional Frederik, the Countess Danner (aka Louise Rasmussen), and a wealthy newspaper publisher named Carl Berling. The Countess's own love letters embellish this true story from her point of view - scandal, romance, and all  - and how it led them to seek shelter from the rain under this ancient oak.

Guests
Helle Serup
Curator, Det Grønne Museum (The Green Museum)
Auning, Denmark

Anders Jensen
Vice Chairman
Dansk Træplejeforening (The Danish Tree Care Association)

Reading
"Beneath Kongeegen" by Doug Still and Ida Zecco, read by Ida Zecco and Martha Douglas-Osmundson (Louise Rasmussen's letters)

References
"Din hengivnes Louise": Louise Rasmussens breve til Carl Berling og kronprins/kong Frederik VII, 1844-1850." Ved Pernille Arenfeldt og Pernille Hasselsteen. Kong Frederik VII's Stiftelse Paa Jægerspris, Forlaget Fremad, 

Music
"La Sylphide, Music for the Bournonville ballet" by Herman Severin Løvenskiold. Royal Danish Orchestra, Chandos Records, 1991.

Special thanks
Dansk Træplejeforening
Robb Barnard
Ed Nardell

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
thisoldtree.show
Transcripts available.

Follow on
Facebook or Instagram

This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute  audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
[email protected]

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
litartsri.org