69-year old chestnut tree at Oegstgeest, The Netherlands
This huge chestnut tree was burned in the Dutch famine or Honger Winter of 1944. The Germans still occupied part of The Netherlands and especially the denseley populated western provinces suffered during the winter of 1944-1945 when a German blockade cut off food and fuel shipments from farm areas to punish the reluctance of the Dutch to aid Nazi war effort. The Honger Winter affected 4.5 million people. 22.000 did not survive the famine. The chestnut tree was replanted with joy in 1945 or so the sign next to it says.