- Place
- Pagryniai, Šilutė District Municipality
- Region
- Lithuania Minor
- Type
- old protected pedunculate oak
- Address
- Pagryniai, Šilutė Eldership, Šilutė District Municipality
- Coordinates
- 55.33304, 21.48499
- Visit duration
- 10-20 minutes
- Best time
- daylight from spring to autumn; the approach may be wet after rain
Old Pagryniai Oak
The oak's scale and estimated age
The Regional Guide gives impressive indicative measurements: a height of about 24 m, a trunk circumference of 4.8 m, and a diameter of roughly 1.5 m. Its age is estimated at around 300 years, but this is not a documented planting date.
The broad crown is easiest to appreciate from a little distance, while the thickness of the trunk becomes clear from as close as the existing approach and protection allow. This is a brief stop whose value lies in seeing a living veteran tree in its ordinary rural roadside setting.
From natural monument to protected heritage
The Regional Guide states that the oak was declared a natural monument in 1960 and placed in the then category of natural monuments of national significance in 1987. That wording describes its historical protection category rather than claiming it is the current administrative name.
The State Service for Protected Areas now includes Pagryniai Oak in its list of botanical natural heritage objects in Šilutė District. Visitors can help protect it by keeping vehicles away from the root zone, not climbing the tree, and never damaging the trunk or branches.
A roadside site south of Šilutė
The oak grows in northern Pagryniai near Stadiono Street, on the left of the road from Šilutė when travelling towards Pagryniai. The encyclopedia places the village about 4 km south of Šilutė, making the tree easy to include in a short route from town.
The coordinates 55.3330430, 21.4849859 mark the oak itself, not a parking area. Ten to twenty minutes is normally enough for the stop; a longer outing can continue through Šilutė, to other veteran trees, or towards Rusnė Island.
Stopping and viewing the oak safely
No dedicated official car park beside the tree could be confirmed. Do not treat the map pin as an instruction to pull onto the verge: first check road signs, sight lines, and ground conditions, and leave the car only in a lawful place where it will not obstruct traffic.
Use the existing approach and respect any restrictions on site. Grass and soil may be wet after rain, so closed footwear is useful. Do not cross protective barriers, climb the trunk or roots, or break even dead twigs.
