Patkó Bandi Tree, Remarkable tree in Barcs, Hungary.
Patkó Bandi Tree is a large pedunculate oak standing beside the main road between Barcs and Darány, near Középrigóc railway station in Somogy County. Its trunk had a circumference of 700 cm in 2015, making it one of the largest trees in the county. An information board stands next to it.
In 1942 the oak was placed under protection together with a nearby "harp-shaped" black pine and the middle stretch of the Rigóc stream; these sites now belong to the Duna–Dráva National Park. Its age was estimated at 300–400 years in the early 21st century. In August 2019 a candle placed inside the trunk burned the tree from within, and it died completely by 2021.
The oak is named after Patkó Bandi, a legendary betyár (outlaw) of the region. A weathered information board stands beside the trunk and recounts his story for passers-by on the main road between Barcs and Darány.
The tree stands beside the main road 6 between Barcs and Darány, close to Középrigóc railway station, so it can be seen without entering any forest. An information board is next to it. The trunk was left in place as a memento after the 2019 fire, and the road was closed for nine hours during the cutting work.
In August 2019 someone placed a candle inside the trunk, burning the oak from within. Firefighters worked 23 hours and hauled about 30 m³ of water to the site. The tree was pruned for road safety and had died by 2021; its truncated trunk remains beside the road as a memento.
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