There’s A Tree That’s Responsible for Over 100 Marriages And It’s A Hopeless Romantic’s Dream

The idea of writing a letter is so old fashioned that there’s something inherently romantic about it, similar to how we find historical love stories idyllic. There’s also something romantic about nature. With the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, unwinding with a charming picnic under an old tree sounds like every girl's dream.

Imagine a place where nature, love letters, and old love stories collide. Luckily for us, it’s real, and it’s the Bridegroom’s Oak Tree in Germany. Located outside the small city of Eutin, Bridegroom’s Oak is the only tree in the world with its own address, where hopeful singles have been directing love letters for over a century.

A Brief History of Bridegroom’s Oak

Though the tree is several centuries old, its reputation for romance began in 1890. According to the BBC, it all started when a local young woman named Minna fell in love with a chocolate maker. When her father disapproved of the match, the couple communicated via love letters kept in the knothole of the tree. When the girl’s father finally gave his blessing of the match, they married under the great oak.

The love story went on to become a local legend, and locals started leaving letters at the tree in hopes that the love of their life would find them and write back. It became so popular that, in 1927, the local post office created an address for the tree so singles could mail letters. Those looking for love visit the tree and read through the letters, hoping to find one that will spark interest. The only rule is that if you’re not interested in responding to a particular letter, you must leave it for someone else to find. It’s also believed that if a woman walks around the tree three times under a full moon while thinking of her dream man, she’ll be married within a year.

Nobody knows the tree's magic more than Karl-Heinz Martens, a local German man who used to be the tree’s mailman. When he first started delivering mail to the tree, he was divorced and didn’t believe in love, but that changed when he started to see beautiful love stories develop through mailing letters to the tree. He told the BBC, “There’s something so magical and romantic about it. On the internet, facts and questions match people, but at the tree, it’s a beautiful coincidence – like fate.”

In true fairytale fashion, Martens eventually found love through the tree’s magic. He found a letter in the tree that was addressed to him and written by a German divorcée named Renate Heinz, who saw Martens talking about the tree on the news. The two started talking on the phone every day before agreeing to meet in person. After dating for a few years, the pair married in 1994.

Bridegroom’s Oak Love Stories

While Martens’ story is exceptionally sweet and romantic, there are plenty of other love stories that began with the tree. According to The Atlantic, two stories that Martens remembers well are that of Claudia and Frederich, and Karin and Hanz. Back in 1988, Claudia was a 19-year-old East German nurse who mailed a letter to Bridegroom’s Oak Tree after seeing a story about it on the news. Her letter was discovered by a 36-year-old West German man named Frederich who “liked her handwriting” and thought they could be a match. The two exchanged letters for a while, but the political tension between East and West Germany kept them apart. Desperate to see her, Frederich bought a map, lied to the checkpoint guards to get into East Germany, and rendezvoused with Claudia. Shortly after their first meeting, they got engaged. 

Karin wrote a letter to Bridegroom’s Oak Tree in the late 1980s after her first husband passed away. A divorcé named Hanz discovered her letter, and it was “love at first sight” when the couple first met. The two later married and are still together to this day.

Another Bridegroom’s Oak love story goes back to the 1950s, when a young German man named Peter came across a letter from a young woman named Marita. The fun twist is that Marita’s friend had written the original letter because Marita was too shy to write it herself. Peter and Marita exchanged letters for a few years before getting married in 1961.

Reportedly, Bridegroom’s Oak is responsible for more than 100 marriages, and many couples who found each other through the tree have carved their initials on it. 

More Hopeless Romantic Travel Destinations

Bridegroom’s Oak isn’t the only destination for a hopeless romantic, however. Remember Letters To Juliet? In this Amanda Seyfried movie, a young woman visits Verona and discovers an old love letter addressed to the iconic Shakespeare character, and finds herself in the middle of a modern fairytale romance. Juliet’s Balcony is a real-life popular tourist destination in Verona, making it a perfect stop on any Italian vacation.

Located at Casa di Giulietta in Verona, Juliet’s Balcony is part of a medieval house that resembles the Capulet mansion from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It’s a huge tourist destination and has a statue of Juliet (it’s believed that “if you rub the right breast of this statue, you’ll find your love misfortunes turned around”) in the courtyard near the balcony. The wall beside the balcony is famously known as Juliet’s Wall, where you can leave your letters or post-it notes to Juliet. There is also a postbox near the house that accepts letters, and many leave letters at Juliet’s Tomb on the other side of Verona.

Unlike the letters left at Bridegroom’s Oak, many of the letters addressed to Juliet are of those who are heartbroken and seek advice from one of literature’s most famous and romantic characters. The letters are answered by volunteers known as Juliet’s Secretaries, who have been active since the 1930s when tourists first started to leave letters at Juliet’s Tomb. One of the most popular times to visit is around Valentine’s Day, when the city holds the annual Verona In Love Festival.

Another popular destination for hopeless romantics is the Alley of The Kiss in Guanajuato, Mexico. Unlike Bridegroom’s Oak and Juliet’s Balcony, you can’t write letters to the Alley, but there’s a tragic love story behind it. According to a local legend, one building was owned by a wealthy family, and their daughter Ana fell in love with a young working-class man named Carlos, who rented an apartment next door. The two communicated through their balconies and would meet in the alley to kiss. When her father caught them kissing between their balconies, Carlos jumped to protect Ana from him, falling to his death. As Ana cried for her lover, her father stabbed her to death. Other accounts tell a different story of their deaths, but the story always involves two star-crossed lovers kissing in the alley and meeting tragic ends.

Today, locals believe that if a couple kisses while walking through the alley, they will be granted 15 years of luck in love. If they don’t, they will be cursed with seven years of bad luck. Tourists can also purchase locks and write messages before locking them on one of the balconies.

Closing Thoughts

With the chaos of our everyday lives, it’s nice to know that there’s still old-school romance in the world and love stories that sound like they came straight from fairytales. Whether you want to write to Bridegroom’s Oak, make Verona a destination on your next European vacation, or just like hearing romantic stories, there’s no doubt that the desire for romance and finding your one true love is just as strong today as it was a hundred years ago.

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