It was planted in 1808 by Johann Gottlieb Becke, a landowner from Babisnau, as a border tree marking the boundary of his property.

This tree is a popular excursion spot due to its panoramic views of the surrounding area, including the city of Dresden.

According to local legend, the poplar's blossoming, which does not occur every year, is a sign of an impending end to a war.

The panorama from the poplar and the platform includes the wooded escarpment to the north above the broad Elbe valley widening, which borders the West Lusatian hill and mountain landscape to the south.

The Babisnau poplar is situated on a Cretaceous (Turonian) Pläner sandstone table, with its top elevation reaching around 320 meters above sea level.

At the Zughübel, there is a distinctive west and southwest-facing stratification step that rises approximately 40 meters high, marking the edge of the table where it meets the Zertal area of the Possendorf stream.

The poplar belongs to a genus that typically grows in moist lowland areas rather than on a ridge, making its presence at this location unique.

[4]In 1808, Johann Gottlieb Becke, a landowner in Babisnau, undertook the planting of the black poplar on the highest point of the Zughübel plateau.

In 1858, Maximilian Eckhardt added a tree signature of the poplar on the horizon in his Graphic View of Leubnitz from the North.

The landowner Gießmann, concerned about the potential impact on his neighboring field's yield due to the influx of numerous excursionists, considered cutting down the poplar.

By this time, the tree had gained recognition not only as a natural landmark but also as a valuable sighting point for geodetic and similar activities.

To prevent the felling of the poplar, delegates of the Mountain Association for Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland, established in 1877, convened a meeting on January 27, 1884.

Negotiations with the owner of the poplar ensued, ultimately resulting in the sale of the tree to the Mountain Club for 300 marks.

An open shelter for weather protection was situated beneath the platform, which was later partially enclosed.

[10] In 1886, the April edition of Bergblumen, illustrated sheets of the Strehlen Section, featured an article on the poplar accompanied by a drawing that depicted its nearly spherical crown.

[6] Over the years, members of the Strehlen and Golberode-Babisnau Mountain Club Sections planted four oak trees near the poplar between 1887 and 1896.

[13] A decree issued by the district governor of Dresden-Bautzen on December 28, 1936, designated the poplar as a natural monument under the Reichsnaturschutzgesetz (RNG) 128 years after its planting.

A year later, on August 23, 1958, the Freital District Council designated the poplar as a natural monument for the second time in a resolution (108/58).

During the late 1950s, the lookout structure was closed by the building authorities due to its unsafe condition resulting from weathering and wanton damage.

During a strong thunderstorm on July 20, 1967, with hail following temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius, the poplar lost a third of its now large crown.

[19] On December 9, 1991, the first maintenance measures were carried out on the poplar by the district office Freital, including sawing the stump of the branch that had broken off in 1967.

Early New Year's Eve afternoon, the fire department again went to the poplar tree to extinguish with another tanker load of water.

On August 23, 1995, the poplar was designated as a natural monument for the third time by decree of the district office Weißeritzkreis.

[20] Because the viewing platform had dangerous rust spots, the board of the Saxon Heritage Society ordered the Babisnau local group to remove it on December 1, 1996.

The scaffolding and the landscaping of the surrounding area were financed with subsidies from the Dresden Regional Council and contributions from sponsors.

In response to these concerns, metal bands connected to a steel cable were affixed to the remaining crown in the year 2000.

Towards the end of December 2003, another significant event occurred when a large lateral branch broke off, further diminishing the crown volume.

However, in July 2020, access to the viewing platform, which is constructed from a combination of wood and steel, was permanently closed due to safety concerns related to the deteriorating condition of the wooden step planks in the upper section of the platform, caused by exposure to the elements.

In February 1993, Rudolf Schröder, the then-director of the Dresden Botanical Garden, took cuttings from the poplar for propagation.

These cuttings were then cared for by Steffen Ruhtz, the chairman of the Babisnau local group in the Saxon Heritage Society.