Photo: Kurkommission Bad Blumau · J. Rath

Lebensbundbäume Bad Blumau

Bad Blumau, Styria

The apple tree as a symbol and sign of love. Besides its role as the tree of the most important fruit in our latitudes, the apple tree also plays a role in various mythologies and religions. For the Celts, as the tree of love and immortality, it belongs to the seven sacred trees (with birch, alder, willow, oak, holm oak, and hazel tree) that were not touched. And in our translation of the Old Testament, it is the tree of knowledge from which Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruits. The birch, the tree of light, youth, and sensuality. The birch is often called the "Lady of the Forests" because of its beauty. It is more robust than most other trees and grows even where the strong oak does not thrive. During the first months of the calendar, the Celts used brooms made of birch twigs to sweep the paths, thereby driving out the evil spirits of the old year. In spring, the birch was then tapped by making a cut in the bark. From the sweet sap of the tree, the Celts made a liqueur with which the spring equinox was solemnly celebrated. Couples who celebrated their wedding at Rogner Bad Blumau are immortalized with plaques at the various trees.