Montenegro

The town of Bar stands out as you fly an ultralight along the Adriatic coast of Montenegro. Surrounded by a mountainous backdrop, Bar is structured in an almost circular fashion, with the old town located on the coast and the newer parts spreading out from that.

Two miles from Bar, to the southeast, you find the city’s symbol, an olive tree. But it’s not just any olive tree. Called Stara Maslina, or the Old Olive Tree, it stands alone in a small, grassy clearing, circled by stone benches.

For an olive tree, Stara Maslina is massive. It towers 7 meters (24 feet) and its trunk measures 10 meters (32 feet) in circumference. Its roots have grown deep and wide, while its branches, twisted and gnarled, reach out in all directions. The bark is dark and weathered, as though tortured, but the leaves’ deep green give off an aura of peace and serenity.

Estimated to be over 2000 years old, Stara Maslina is said to be the oldest olive tree in Europe if not the whole world. The Old Olive Tree stands still, silent and timeless, observing the world as it changes around it. It has seen empires rise and fall, wars come and go, and generations pass.

But Stara Maslina is not the only old olive tree in the municipality of Bar. The region is home to thousands of olive trees, all more than 1,000 years old. The species, the soil, and climate are all important parts of the olive trees’ long lives.

These old trees are a symbol of the resilience of nature. They are a reminder of the strength and endurance of the Montenegro people.