The Platinum Jubilee Oak
The Platinum Jubilee Oak was planted in October 2022 on the grounds of Sarny Castle to mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.
The four-meter oak replaced another oak that had fallen a few years ago during a thunderstorm. Landscape architect Łukasz Przybylak, who since 2014 has been in charge of the effort to bring the park in Sarny back to life, was the force behind the planting.
The name of the oak had been suggested by Prince Charles’ private secretary in correspondence between The Sarny Castle Trust and Clarence House.
The planting was broadcast live on Poland’s largest commercial television channel TVN.
The oak is marked by a plaque with the logo of Queen’s Green Canopy, the initiative of tree planting in the year of the Queen’s jubilee. King Charles III is QGC’s patron.
“The project was initiated by then-Prince Charles, now King Charles III, to create a symbolic canopy of trees, not just in Britain but also around the world,” said Łukasz Przybylak.
More than a million trees were planted in QGC’s first season between October 2021 and March 2022. The initiative was extended until March 2023 to plant trees in memory of the late Queen.
The oak in Sarny was the first Queen’s Green Canopy tree planted in Poland.
London-based SAVE Britain’s Heritage was in 2010-2013 planning to renovate Sarny under Charles’ patronage.
The landscape park in Sarny has 10 oaks officially recognized for their age. The oldest is about 400 years old.
The park in its present form is a result of a recomposition of the previous Baroque garden by Eduard Petzold around 1880. Petzold is a famous representative of the Bad Muskau school of landscape gardening.
Petzold is the patron of the European Center for Garden Art founded by Łukasz Przybylak and Jacek Kuśmierski in 2020 as part of The Sarny Castle Trust.
Fore more information on the European Center for Garden Art, visit www.ecso.pl.
Kinga Burzyńska of the Dzień Dobry TVN morning show
Łukasz Przybylak (ECSO, right) and Martin Sobczyk (Sarny Castle)