The old olive tree of Mirovica, the tree that named a peace

Few trees come with a ticket office, and this is one of them. The old olive tree of Mirovica is Bar’s emblem, gives its name to one of the town’s festivals and is looked after like a monument. Which, since 1963, is exactly what it is.

How old is it?

The Bar tourist board puts it at more than 2,240 years and bills it as the oldest tree in Europe, older than any written record of Bar and its people. That’s the town’s official figure and I’m passing it on as theirs, because I haven’t read a scientific study that backs it up. Whatever the precise age, the trunk leaves no doubt that it has seen the centuries go by. It’s split, twisted and hollow, and the branches are still in leaf.

The legend behind the name

The district is called Mirovica, and the tourist board explains why with a legend. Families at odds would meet under the olive to make peace, and the local word for peace is «mir». It’s one of my favourite stories on the whole coast, and it explains why the tree turns up in so many of the town’s events. Since 1987 Bar has held a children’s arts festival called Meetings Under the Old Olive, where children present work on the theme “Olive, peace, friendship”.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Bar before prices climb.

A land of olive trees

The Mirovica tree isn’t alone. The tourist board counts more than 100,000 olive trees in the municipality and says most are over a thousand years old. The oldest are at Komina, and not long ago a whole grove of about twenty ancient trees was found at Ravanj. The same source says no young man could marry until he had planted a set number of olive trees, and that in 1927 an oil press in Stari Bar handled up to 20 tonnes of olives a day and shipped oil to the United States, France and Germany. The finest grove to walk through is Džidžarin, right by the walls of Stari Bar.

The olive on Bar’s calendar

Olive oil is also a reason to party. The Bar tourist board describes a festival of local produce, with olives, olive oil and citrus, an exhibition of traditional costume and a cultural programme, attended by olive growers, beekeepers, winemakers and growers of medicinal herbs. You can taste and buy traditional Bar dishes on the spot. The official listing gives no date for 2027, so I won’t guess one.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Old olive tree of Mirovica and choose by the reviews.

Visiting

It’s at kilometre 5 on the road from Bar to Ulcinj. Entry is €1, or €0.50 for children, and it’s open from 8:00 to 18:00 all year. A low white stone wall surrounds the lawn the tree stands on, so you see it close up but can’t touch it. Fifteen minutes is plenty, and I’d combine it with Stari Bar or with the drive down the Bar Riviera. If you’re after olive oil to take home, the tourist board says Bar’s oil and olives are sold at the main market in the centre and along the old town’s main street; the rest is in my guide to Bar.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Bar before prices climb.