Papal Oaks Avenue in Rudy

Behind the chancel of the former Cistercian church in Rudy grows an oak that dates back to the last Jagiellonian kings, and right next to it stand young trees named after popes. The Papal Oaks Avenue is a small but unusual spot in the park of the former Cistercian monastery and palace complex, and locals describe it as the only avenue of its kind in Poland. It works best as a stop on a walk through the 95-hectare park rather than as a destination on its own.

Four oaks, four dates

The avenue was created in the early 2000s beside the oldest tree in the park, the Cysters Oak. Each sapling commemorates a figure of the Church: the Benedict XVI Oak (2005), the John Paul II Oak (2007), the Bishop Jan Wieczorek Oak (2011) and the Francis Oak (2013). Jan Wieczorek was Bishop of Gliwice from 1992 to 2011, and the Diocese of Gliwice has owned the abbey complex since 1998. The trees are still young, so do not expect a row of grand crowns. What makes the place interesting is the contrast of time scales: oaks a dozen or so years old next to a neighbour that has stood for five centuries.

The Cysters Oak: Rudy's oldest resident

The pedunculate oak known as Cysters is a protected natural monument and one of the most impressive trees in Upper Silesia. According to dendrological research quoted by the local portal rudy24.pl, it is about 515 years old, 31 m tall, with a trunk girth of 740 cm at a height of 130 cm (other sources give about 450 years and 720 cm). It grows on the axis of the church, just behind the chancel, on a spot where monks were buried until the 15th century, as archaeological excavations have shown. Staff of the Old Abbey and foresters from the Rudy Raciborskie forest district have grown saplings from its acorns: the first 23 descendants of the Cysters Oak went to towns belonging to the Association of Cistercian Municipalities.

The park and abbey around it

The Cistercian monastery was founded here in 1258 by Duke Władysław of Opole, and the order stayed in Rudy until it was dissolved in 1810. The English-style landscape park around the palace was laid out between 1822 and 1846 and covers 95 ha. It has about 20 trees protected as natural monuments, and five sightlines radiate in a star pattern from the palace. Three variants of a dendrological nature trail lead through the park.

Tripto tip

• Getting there: from the car park on ul. Cysterska, walk towards the pond, then turn right onto the path leading to a small wooden bridge. After about 150 m you reach the Cysters Oak, with the avenue beside it.
• Time needed: the avenue itself takes 15–20 minutes, but with the park, the basilica and the abbey allow half a day.
• Tickets: walking in the park is free. According to the price list of the Old Abbey in Rudy Foundation, a tour of the abbey interiors costs PLN 20 (reduced PLN 15); check opening hours before you go.
• When to go: the park is at its most colourful in spring and autumn, and the paths can be muddy after rain.