Hewn down during WW2, Ginkgo 2.0 planted in Tallinn

Photo: Sander Ilvest

Amid the noise of the construction works going on, the green zone of the Tallinn Old City Harbour was yesterday enriched by a young ginkgo seemingly undisturbed by it all.  The story goes back for almost 70 long years. 

It was back during the WW2 days that a mighty and magnificent ginkgo is said to have beautified the harbour area here. To his sorrow, a German navy officer Theodor Claussen was forced to hew it down in 1943, to defend the harbour. A man interested in botany, he never really got over it and desired to return someday to plant another one.

Alas, Theodor Claussen passed on before the USSR unravelled and never made it here.

Dirk Claussen wanted to do what was in Father’s heart. Meanwhile, his wife and son beat him with the project and planted one for Dirk’s birthday.   

Yesterday, the family gathered at the location to festively plant the three in honour of Estonia’s independence.  

With excitement, the family will be following the growth of the tree. According to German Ambassador Christoph Eichhorn participating in the ceremony, this is a sign of the strong Estonian-German friendship, as well as of peace – to be talked about in times to come.

Tellingly, such trees are known to grow to be nearly a thousand years old, and end up standing 35 metres tall.