Hauseiche ("house oak")

The Hauseiche stands in the village of Kain near Bad Kreuzen in Upper Austria. It is a pedunculate oak known locally as the Steiner oak. The tree grows beside a farm lane called Mitterdörfl, its position on the slope making it less obvious from a distance. The oak is protected for its great size and appears in the Upper Austrian Nature Conservation Register as a natural monument. Its trunk and crown are recognised as outstanding examples of the species. Visitors can see the tree from the lane without needing to enter private land. The surroundings are quiet farmland with gentle slopes and hedgerows. The lane itself is a quiet country track, so the oak is best visited on foot or by bicycle. From the path the trunk rises thick and sturdy, casting shade over the gravel surface.