Bordesholm Gerichtslinde, Natural monument and court linden tree in Bordesholm, Germany

The Bordesholm Gerichtslinde was a linden tree that stood in the town center, reaching about 18 meters in height with a trunk diameter of roughly 2.3 meters. It dominated the local landscape with its large frame and served as a visual focal point for the community.

The tree served as the court linden of the Amt Bordesholm until the early 19th century. Its age is disputed: one account holds it was planted around 1350, while Peter Dankwerth's chronicle states that Konrektor Andreas Grotheim planted it around 1580. In 2018 it was cut back to a stump about two and a half metres high.

The tree held such importance for the town that it appears on the official coat of arms of Bordesholm, shaping the identity of the place. Visitors can still feel this connection today through local symbols and conversations about the community's past.

The linden was cut back to a stump about 2.5 metres high in October 2018 after a large branch broke; a smouldering fire damaged it further in July 2019. It stands in the historic centre of Bordesholm near the former monastery church and is freely accessible. The stump is regrowing and in leaf resembles a shrub.

The tree's age is disputed: one account dates its planting to around 1350, making it a relic of the Bordesholm monastery era, while Peter Dankwerth's chronicle states that Konrektor Andreas Grotheim planted it around 1580. After the 2018 pruning, the broken wood was auctioned and carved by regional artists into sculptures, saint figures and linden leaves.