De Boom Die Alles Zag
De Boom Die Alles Zag and the monument next to it in 2009
SpeciesGrey poplar (Populus × canescens)
LocationBijlmermeer, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Coordinates52°19′08″N 4°58′27″E / 52.3190°N 4.9741°E / 52.3190; 4.9741
Date seededmid-20th century

De Boom Die Alles Zag (transl. The Tree That Saw It All) is a grey poplar (Populus × canescens) tree located in Bijlmermeer, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, that survived the crash of El Al Flight 1862 on 4 October 1992. Due to the eye-shaped patterns on its trunk, the tree was considered to be an eyewitness of the accident and its aftermath. An official memorial was built next to the tree, where the accident is commemorated every year on its anniversary. It is a part of a larger monument, Het Groeiend Monument (transl. The Growing Monument).

The tree was damaged by the crash and fire, and lost a part of its roots during the clean-up of the soil. This made it necessary to support it with two cables attached to neighbouring trees. The soil under it was replaced in 2017 to stimulate root growth, which according to pulling tests four years later improved its condition, but the tree is still supported by the cables to prevent it from falling.

History

De Boom Die Alles Zag is a grey poplar (Populus × canescens). The tree is located on the Nellesteinpad in Bijlmermeer[1] and was planted during the early years of the neighbourhood (c. mid to late 1960s).[2]

Crash of El Al Flight 1862

The location of the impact (1) and the tree (2) on a city map

On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a cargo flight from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS/EHAM) to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV/LLBG) operated by a Boeing 747-200 of El Al Israel Airlines, crashed into the flats at Bijlmermeer 15 minutes after take off.[3] The accident killed 43 people,[4] though the number of ground fatalities is uncertain as the buildings housed many illegal immigrants.[5]

De Boom Die Alles Zag was located next to the buildings into which the plane crashed,[6] but managed to survive the impact and subsequent fire.[4] Following the crash, the soil near the accident site was polluted by harmful substances and resulted in the removal of many trees, but De Boom Die Alles Zag was kept at its place.[7] It did lose a part of its roots during the sanitization process, which caused the tree to become crooked.[8] Due to the eye-shaped patterns on the trunk, the species is called the "ogenboom" (transl. eyetree) in The Netherlands and the tree is considered to be an eyewitness to "the panic[,] upheaval [and] the aftermath in the years that followed [the crash]."[9]

Subsequent history

A close-up with the "eyes" and two cables visible

The soil under the tree was replaced with sand after the accident. The roots were only able to recover to a limited extent inside the sand. To prevent it from falling over, the tree was attached to neighbouring trees with two cables. In 2013, its crown was reduced in size after a pulling test showed that the tree was unstable. The sand was replaced with soil again in 2017 in an attempt to stimulate root growth.[8] The Bijlmer Museum—which includes the tree—has been a "protected city view" since 2018. In 2020, it was reported that the tree had a parasitic fungus in the base of its trunk.[10] Two further tests the following year where the tree was pulled with a force of 265 kilonewtons (60,000 lbf) showed that its condition had improved, but still was worse than ideal. As a result, the cables were loosened but not fully removed.[11]

Monument and legacy

According to De Volkskrant, residents and victims set up a temporary memorial place around the tree "almost immediately" after the disaster.[1] A wooden box designed by artist Lucas van Herwaarden was built around the tree in 1992.[1] An official monument by the Dutch Government was later constructed at the same place. The disaster is commemorated every year on its anniversary at the monument next to the tree.[9] De Boom Die Alles Zag and its surroundings are a part of a larger monument dedicated to the crash called The Growing Monument (Dutch: Het Groeiend Monument). The tree is "the heart of the monument".[12]

A 2017 documentary about the disaster by Dutch TV programme Andere Tijden is named after the tree.[13] On 28 August 2020, the tree was selected as the "Tree of the Year" of the province of North Holland, allowing it to compete in the national contest,[14] where it finished in fourth place.[15] In September 2022, the Government of Amsterdam listed it as the third most beautiful tree of the city.[6]

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 "De boom die alles zag". Buitenkunst Amsterdam (in Dutch). Government of Amsterdam. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  2. ↑ Patrick Meershoek (3 August 2020). "Staat de boom van het jaar dit keer wél in Amsterdam?". Het Parool (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  3. ↑ Vincent Dekker and Guus van Duin (6 October 1992). "Boeing El Al leek tot laatste seconden in staat om te landen". Trouw (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Bijlmerramp herdacht bij 'de boom die alles zag'". Het Parool (in Dutch). 4 October 2021. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  5. ↑ "20 jaar Bijlmerramp". Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (in Dutch). 4 October 2012. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Wat zijn de 10 mooiste bomen van de stad?". Government of Amsterdam (in Dutch). 15 September 2022. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  7. ↑ Lute 2022, p. 13.
  8. 1 2 Lute 2022, p. 15.
  9. 1 2 Merel Bem (8 October 2021). "Deze boom staat al meer dan 29 jaar stilletjes de boel in zich op te nemen". De Volkskrant (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  10. ↑ "Boom die Bijlmerramp overleefde genomineerd voor boom van het jaar". Het Parool (in Dutch). 28 August 2020. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  11. ↑ Lute 2022, p. 16.
  12. ↑ "Het Groeiend Monument". Het Groeiend Monument (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  13. ↑ "'De boom die alles zag': Andere Tijden over de Bijlmerramp". Het Parool (in Dutch). 30 September 2017. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  14. ↑ "'Boom Die Alles Zag' in de Bijlmer verkozen tot Boom van het Jaar". NU.nl (in Dutch). 28 August 2020. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  15. ↑ "Uitslag verkiezing Boom van het Jaar 2020". De Boom van het Jaar (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.

Bibliography

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