In the village of Zalizniak in the Verkhnia Syrovatka hromada, near Sumy, grows an unusual tree — the Palicyn Pine. It is part of the local botanical natural landmark known as the Palicyn Trees. The height of the pine reaches 29 metres, and its trunk girth is about 3.8 metres. Its age exceeds 200 years. There is a local belief that this is the oldest and thickest pine in Ukraine, though there is no officially documented national record for it.
Tree on the Wife's Grave
The history of the pine is connected with Oleksandr Palicyn — a nobleman, educator, architect, and founder of the cultural and educational centre known as the Popivka Academy. At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century, his Popivka estate was a meeting place for writers, scientists, architects, and other educated people of Slobozhanshchyna.
According to local lore, in 1806 Palicyn planted the pine on the grave of his wife Yevdokiia. She was buried in the peasant cemetery of Popivka, and the tree was meant to become a living memory of her. In local history descriptions, the pine is referred to as a Crimean pine.
Over time, Popivka became part of modern Zalizniak. The tree has survived for more than two centuries and has turned into one of the most interesting natural landmarks in the surroundings of Sumy.
Palicyn Trees
The pine is not the only old tree connected with the history of the educator. Nearby grows another veteran pine, which locals call the Sister.
The Palicyn Trees complex also includes an oak over 300 years old and an old chestnut. The oak grows near the former estate of the landowner Ivan Kondratiev — a house built in 1807 according to the design of Oleksandr Palicyn. Until recently, this building housed a school. The chestnut, according to local descriptions, grows in the forest on the site of Palicyn's former estate.
The local botanical natural landmark «Palicyn Trees» was created on 19 October 2000. Its area is 0.24 hectares. These trees are valuable not only for their respectable age: they preserve the memory of the history of Popivka and the cultural life of Slobozhanshchyna at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Nearby
Sumy Regional Local History Museum, Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi Cathedral — in the centre of Sumy.
