La Panera

The Panera was a tree of national importance with high protection status. It stood in a forest clearing below the village of Luvens in the municipality of Ilanz/Glion. The hollow was cleared in the 16th century by local farmers for pastureland. The spruce also owes its size to this location with lots of sunshine and sufficient water. It was perfectly protected by the adjacent forest and the rock ledge above the hollow.

In 1971, at the instigation of the then mayor Martin Vinzens, the tree was placed under protection as a Swiss natural monument. The age of the Panera is estimated at 250 years and its wood content at around 40 cubic meters. The extraordinary growth was also possible due to the perfect shape and the straight growth.

In 1915, the fir tree was mentioned for the first time by the priest and naturalist Karl Haber. A photograph from this period shows the Panera with branches spread wide. Because of this and that of the special branch formations in the crown of the tree, which resembled a bread rack, the spruce got its name: Panera – bread rack. Over the years, however, the main branches hung down more and more so as not to break under the weight of the snow.

In December 2018, the tree had to be felled due to illness.