Timber Over Tinder: The Century-Long Love Affair at Germany’s Bridegroom’s Oak

In the Dodau Forest near Eutin, Germany, the Bridegroom’s Oak serves as an unusual connection point for lovers. Known locally as ‘Bräutigamseiche,’ this tree has a famous knothole used as a mailbox for love letters since 1892. It even has its own postal code, drawing correspondents from around the world.

The German postal service plays the role of Cupid here, delivering 50 to 60 letters monthly to the knothole. Mail carriers climb a ladder to reach this unique mailbox situated approximately 3 meters (10 feet) up the 25-meter (82-foot) tall tree, which is over 500 years old.

The postal service states, ‘The resulting pen pal relationships have even led to a few marriages.’

Visitors can leaf through the letters, sometimes mailed from distant continents, and decide if they want to engage with any of the writers. The tree’s role as a romantic conduit began in 1892 with a forester’s daughter and a chocolate manufacturer from Leipzig. Initially, the forester opposed their courtship, so they exchanged love letters through the knothole. Subsequently, they married under the tree’s canopy with the forester’s blessing.

To send a letter, address it to: Bräutigamseiche, Dodauer Forst, 23701 Eutin, Germany.