In the village of Ano Vouves Kissamou, you can admire the oldest recorded olive tree in the world, proclaimed as a natural monument, according to the decision of the General Secretary of the Region of Crete. Although scientists can not be absolutely sure, its age is estimated between 3000 and 5000 years and still remains alive, fructifying until today. It had as a base a wild olive tree, and then became domesticated by humans via Tsounati variety. Its bole, chiseled by time as a sculpture, has a circumference of 12.5 meters and a diameter of 4.6 meters.
Next to the monumental tree, the Olive Tree Museum of Vouves was founded, in order for visitors to learn about the tradition of olive cultivation in Crete. The museum houses tool exhibits for traditional olive harvesting before the mechanization of cultivation and production, from antiquity to the mid-20th century.
