- Europe’s oldest plane tree has deteriorated after decades of illegal interventions
- Authorities ignored warnings even after trunk collapse in 2024
- Proposed “solution” reduces the tree to a static dead monument
- Local Association demands real protection, not cosmetic euthanasia
- Argophilia has covered the tree’s decline consistently since March 2024
The 2,400-year-old platanos of Krasi — the oldest plane tree in Europe — is not simply “in trouble.”
It is being slowly, methodically killed, while those responsible pretend to discover the problem only now.
Argophilia did not pretend.
We have been reporting on the danger since March 2024, long before the collapse, long before the public statements, long before the sudden political concern.
The warning signs were visible, measurable, documented — and ignored.
Concrete, Cars, and the Slow Murder of a Tree
Decades of abuse have pushed this natural monument to the brink:
- concrete poured over the roots
- illegal constructions
- insufficient irrigation
- uncontrolled expansion of restaurant seating
- heavy vehicles parking beneath its canopy
- municipal tolerance bordering on complicity
This is not “bad luck” or “natural decay.”
This is negligence.
Systemic, predictable, and repeated.
The tree’s partial collapse in December 2024 was not an “incident.”
It was the direct result of everything Argophilia, scientists, and residents warned about.
Seven Months of Silence — Followed by a Plan to Kill What’s Left
After the collapse, the authorities did what they do best: nothing.
Seven months passed before any official response arrived.
And when it came, it was worse than silence.
The proposed “innovative solution” — revealed in December 2025 — is to convert the ancient platanos into a “monolithic remnant” for safety.
In plain language:
Keep the corpse, put it upright, call it conservation.
A 2,400-year-old living monument would be reduced to a dead stump for tourists to take pictures of.
This is not protection.
It is bureaucratic euthanasia.
Experts Called It Early — Officials Looked Away
The technical report by Professor Theoharis Zagas left no room for doubt.
The tree’s health is poor, and urgent restorative actions were needed.
Urgent.
Not a-year-later urgent.
Not “after the study.”
Not “after public consultations.”
Urgent as in “start now.”
But urgency requires responsibility, and responsibility requires admitting failure — something the local authorities have consistently refused to do.
The Cultural Association Is Done Being Polite
The Cultural Association of Apantachou Krasanon has reached its limit.
They reject the plan to display the tree’s remains like a museum artifact.
Their message is blunt:
the platanos is dying because the State did not protect it, and now tries to bury its failure under the excuse of “public safety.”
The tree is not a hazard.
It is a victim.
Argophilia’s Position — the Same Since March 2024
Argophilia has been warning about this crisis for nearly two years.
We documented the damage, the illegal interventions, the gradual decay, the municipal neglect, and the risk of collapse long before the trunk hit the ground.
We will keep reporting until either the tree is saved
— or until all those responsible are forced to answer for letting a 2,400-year-old monument rot under their watch.
A Final Call to Protect What Cannot Be Replaced
The platanos of Krasi survived two millennia.
Empires rose and fell.
Villages were built and rebuilt.
It stood through wars, drought, Ottoman rule, Venetian rule, and everything in between.
And now, in the year 2025, it faces destruction not from nature —
but from incompetence.
The tree needs restoration, expertise, and care.
Not a tombstone.
The people of Krasi, the Association, scientists, and everyone who understands what this tree represents are calling for action.
Real action.
Not studies.
Not excuses.
Not funerals disguised as “innovative proposals.”
The ancient platanos deserves to live.
