Stock-im-Eisen

The Stock im Eisen is a medieval spruce trunk considered the oldest surviving nail tree. The trunk began to grow around 1400 and was felled around 1440; today it stands on a granite base at the corner of Graben and Kärntner Straße in Vienna. Originally, the tree was studded with nails, a practice rooted in an old custom of hammering nails into trees or crosses to cure illness or as an offering of thanks. This medieval nailing was quite different from the later tradition of journeymen, who began hammering their nails into the trunk in the 18th century. The name comes from a wide iron band around the middle of the trunk, fitted with a dummy padlock.

The history of the landmark is closely tied to World War II. On the night of January 29–30, 1944, the trunk was removed and hidden in the basement of the building across the way, where it was rediscovered after the war ended. It was not put back in its original spot until June 6, 1951. The Stock im Eisen has been a protected monument since 1974. Various legends have grown up around the trunk, including the story of a lock that can never be opened and the tale that the devil himself bound the tree in iron. You can admire the 2.19-meter-tall trunk right on Stock-im-Eisen-Platz and marvel at the many nails driven in over the centuries by people from different cultures and trades.