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The Friendship trees of Europe |
 Paul Harris' trip to Europe in 1932 was unusual in that his wife, Jean, did not go with him as she had on most of their "Friendship" trips. |
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Paul Harris planted the first European tree in Berlin The entire "Report of the 1932 trip to Europe of Paul P. Harris" is online |
 Black
and white photograph captioned "Stockholm, August 25th, 1932” with the
inscription: "Alexanderson, Pane Berryholen, Paul Harris". On August 25
Paul Harris planted this tree in Stockholm en route between Finland and
Norway. "Alexanderson" may be the influential
Swedish
lawyer and politician Nils Alexanderson (1875-1960), who probably was a
member of the Rotary Club of Stockholm. It is also suggested that Pane
Berryholen
 came from the US Embassy in Stockholm. Help is needed in
confirming this. |
|
 Berlin,
Germany 1932 In 1932 Paul Harris planted his first European Friendship
Tree (Maple) on the Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin, which has been and still
is an airport. After his visit, the Rotary Club of Berlin put a memory
stone beside the tree with the inscription: “Paul Harris Baum 17 August
1932” along with the Rotary wheel. In his address he talked of the ties
between Germany and America and that two of the first members of Rotary
were of German decendence. |
 Berlin
Planting Paul Harris, far right, with shovel. Photo from: "Memorandum
for Rotary in Germany between the two world wars" by Rotarian Günter
Graumann, Rotary Club Hameln, Germany, editors CW Niemeyer. Ziegler |
 The
tree withers In 1937 Rotary Clubs were dissolved by the
Nationalsocialists.As the stone would have been eventually destroyed, his sculptor removed it under cover of night and put it in his garden in Berlin Dahlem. The original Friendship Tree of Paul Harris was probably destroyed during the war. In the eighties Rotarian Dr. Jakob Kehren discovered the stone and tried to persuade the sculptor to give it back to Rotary. However, the “owner” kept the stone until his death. |
 Berlin
Tree Replanted 1985 On the occasion of his visit in Berlin on April
111985, the president of Rotary International, Dr. Carlos Canseco
planted a Gingko tree. The tree was donated by the Rotary Club of Eutin
and planted next to the main entrance of the Hotel Intercontinental in
memory of the lost tree of Paul Harris. |
 Dedicated
Canseco received the Grand Cross of the Order of National Merit. This
event was covered by an article in “Der Rotarier” in the May issue 1985 |
 A
New Club Is Born After the death of the sculptor his heirs gave the
stone back to Rotary. Finally on November 6, 1986, on the occasion of
the charter of the Rotary Club Berlin-Spree |
 The
Stone is Returned The stone was placed next to the tree on the entrance
of the Intercontinental [stone with Kehren (right side, grey hair), who
is deceased]. |
 Tallinn,
Estonia 1932 Paul Harris and members of the Rotary Club of Tallinn at a
tree planting. Used in the November 1932 and April 1940 issues of The
Rotarian. History of Tallinn |
 Gothenburg,
Sweden 1932 August Brautigam, Albin Zetterberg, Bengt Kjerrman, Axel
Ros, and Torild Hammar visiting a tree planted in Gothenburg by Paul
Harris in 1932. Photo sent by Ernst Breitholtz, April 1980.Photo Dated 1957. Permission from Torild Hammer in 2002. |
 Gothenburg
2002 Gothenburg Rotary Club District, 2360, Sweden. This picture was
taken January 25, 2002 in Gothenburg in front of the Paul Harris tree
planted in 1932. From left to right, PRID Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar, Peter
Cassirer, president of Gothenburg RC and Torild Hammar. Photo by Akke
Zimdal, Member of Gothenburg RC |
 Film
of Paul Harris at Gothenburg 1932 Paul Harris visited Gothenburg, Sweden
on 29 August 1932 for the clubs luncheon at Tradgardsforening. The Tree
of Friendship was planted in a park north of the restaurant in an area
referred to as the "perennial field." Film courtesy of Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar, RI president 2005-2006. Production by Hasselblads Fotografiska Aktiebolag. Editing and digitizing by Dan Dean, RC Burlington, D5470, Colorado USA |
 HHelsinki
Finland on October 8 .2005. The tree is a "Betula alba" or Birch.It was planted on the same place where Paul P; Harris planted a similar tree on August 22. 1932 on his visit to Helsinki Finland. The planting was done by William B. Boyd the RI President for 2006-2007 and he was helped by Frank J. Devlyn TRF Trustee Chair 2005-2006, RIGS Edwin Futa, RI Director Jose Antonio Salazar. The original tree fell in a storm in the autumn of 2004 but has now been restored.br> See Paul Harris' comments at Helsingfors, Finland Kari Tallberg PDG D-1420 |
 Paul
Harris, planting a tree in Helsinki, Finland, August 22, 1932, during
this European trip.Photo courtesy of PDG Jaakko Castrén of D-1420 in Finland. The tree was destroyed by a storm in 2004. |
 September,
1932, BergenNorway Tree was planted on property of Bergen Club president Amundsen. According James P. Walsh, "The First Rotarian" page 153, "This city appears to be the first one in which Harris initiated the tradition of planting trees of friendship in all countries he visited." Harris, though, wrote that the first tree was in Berlin. Harris speaking on international goodwill after planting a tree near Bergen, in Norway. From l. to r.: Secretary Eide, Treasurer Tornoe, governor elect Amundsen, past president Visted, president Irminger, past president Brinkmann. |
 September
14, 1932, Bergen, Norway Harris planting the Bergen tree. Standing l. to r.: Paul Harris, the gardener, past president Visted, President (later governor) Amundsen, past president Brinkman. |
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