Anne Frank's Chestnut Tree in Amsterdam

...withered away the other week.

During an Autumn Storm, which are far from uncommon in Amsterdam, The Anne Frank Tree cracked, broke into pieces and collapsed into the backyard gardens where it had been growing all it's life. Very so poetic and sad, no doubt. The AF Tree is No More. Not much damage caused to those priceless Canal Houses around, so the law suits are likely to be minimal. Tears. Publicity!

Years ago Mooses lived by his dear lover in a house just opposite the tree. The backyard garden was shadowed by it, and we had a Barbie or two under those historic branches. The garden was an overgrown wilderness, but I was not allowed to break a twig.

"History, you know, history in those weeds which grow around this tree!" *rumble of thunder*

Then an idea hit Mooses: collect those beautiful, shiny brown chestnuts the tree produces every autumn in abundance and sell them to tourists!

Nice cardboard box, some pink cotton wool and a shiny chestnut inside with a slogan: Genuine Anne´s Nut! Sunny soil, bit of luck with 180 years of patience and you'll have it at your own Back Yard!

15 Euros only, special offer for you, my Friend! -->

Tourists, queuing  gladly for hours to see the AF House are like sitting ducks, easy targets for the Sinister Nut Salesman! Who could resist an opportunity to have a real AF Tree at home? Why not buy two? Fits your patio, too!

Nonono - fear of the AF Folks across, risk for court cases and embarrassment. And the lack of morals doing something like that! I was a Bad Person even thinking of it. Stomme Buitenlander!

The AF Tree got sick

Then few years ago, the tree was officially and publicly declared half-rotten, sick to it´s roots and risk to it's environment. First a huge amount of time was spent having Polder Model discussions with millionaire house owners around the tree, local Granny Club, Amsterdam City Council, Human + Vegetable Rights Organisations and whole bunch of other entities having absolutely nothing to do with the emerging national drama. The talks were followed by microscopic analysis of the tree trunk by Biologists and just to be sure, a couple of Gynecologists as well, and topped by the devastation of the AF Society about potentially loosing income if the tree is lost – oh, and never to mention the International Publicity.

A very sick tree --->

Finally a decision was made to support that rotting tree with a metal frame. Lets give The AF Tree a hip-replacement! It was about to collapse that time already! The AF Tree got a Cast.

Tourists continued queuing to see the house and a glimpse of it. For a fair fee. Celebrate! Publicity! 

The AF Tree is considered to be at risk? 

This sudden media attention brought a chance for a quick buck. Before you can spell Mooses backwards, people having access to that garden started to cash on my old idea selling the nuts. You could buy those darn things on Auction Sites! Now its all right to sell some Anne's Nuts? The more nuts sold, the more potential AF Trees are saved! Protecting the History! Darn I was dumb not to keep my head that time...

Dolly was cloned. How about the New AF Tree?

The AF Tree is No More! But there’s a catch... A New Tree is being grown in secrecy. There is a Copy of it waiting to be planted back. A healthy tree of almost three meters, grown in a secret nursery.

But is it a Clone or is it a Seedling? We do need some DNA proof before we can allow our grandchildren to re-live all this, don´t we? Bring in the Biologists, and just to be sure, the Gynecologists, too. Publicity!

<--- Dolly The Sheep A Clone, not a Seedling. Dolly is no more.

Whoever bought those nuts will never get the *same* tree back. Only a rooted branch (a Clone) is The Same. But the original tree which crashed was huge and accessible to many, and for a long time (and still is at the time of writing this). So it’s only a matter of time before The True Clones of AF Tree will be on the market. Keep your eye on the Auction Sites! 

Yes, AF Tree is a Symbol of Hope and Mooses agrees. This Blog is NOT about the Symbol, it is about a rotting tree between houses in Amsterdam. But OK, not just any tree - and that makes people behave somewhat weird... Wanna buy a nut? Not?? An AF Coffee Mug perhaps...

Mooses says: Cloning is the most common way to produce the plants you buy for your home.