Forest Swastikas: Origin Of Mysterious Tree Formation Stumps Germany

A tree formation in Germany's Brandenburg Forest known as the "Forest Swastikas" continues to mystify horticulturalists that still cannot determine its origin.

Twenty years ago, intern Ökoland Dederow, working for Reschke Landscaping Company, was checking aerial photographs of the forest searching for photos of irrigation lines when he noticed something strange.

Showing the photos to his supervisor they were both positive they were looking at the image of swastikas in the forest. Somebody somewhere at some point in time planted a series of larches among the pine trees in order to form the image of a swastika.

The larches change color from green to yellow to brown in the fall, while the surrounding pine trees remain green. As the larches turn yellow the shape of the Nazi swastika symbol appears.

Whoever planted the larches painstakingly made sure that they would form the infamous Nazi symbol and the international symbol of hate and racial intolerance.

There have been many rumors surrounding the forest swastikas. Some say they were planted as a gift celebrating the birthday of Adolf Hitler. An elderly man living near by told local reporters he planted the trees when he was a boy because a farmer paid him for each seed he planted.

The German government is looking to remove the trees so the area does not become a meeting ground for neo-Nazis. Only 25 trees could be removed due to property issues. Landscapers made sure to remove the trees in such a way that the swastika pattern would be unrecognizable.