A magnificent 300-year-old beech in southwestern Poland has been voted Europe’s top tree, giving the country its fourth consecutive victory in the European Tree of the Year awards.
With a stunning reddish hue, the champion tree dubbed the ‘Heart of the Dalkowskie Hills’ stands at 30 meters tall and has a chunky trunk circumference of 4.5 meters.
Its name reflects its central position in the upland region, the heart-shaped red leaves it produces in spring and its significance as a gathering place for the local community.
According to legend, the tree grants wishes to those who drop beech husks into its hollow.
The European Tree of the Year contest began in 2011 to encourage and support individuals actively caring for trees in their communities. This year’s edition featured 15 contenders from across the continent, each with a unique story and strong cultural ties to the land and people around them.
The ‘Heart of the Dalkowskie Hills’ claimed victory with a commanding lead of over 100,000 votes ahead of the runner-up, Portugal’s ‘The Lovers Banyan Tree,’ which earned more than 43,000 votes. Meanwhile, Spain’s ‘Pino de Juan Molinera’ took third place with nearly 37,000 votes.
Poland’s impressive domination of the competition stretches back to 2022, when the title went to the 400-year-old Dunin Oak, known as the Guardian of the Białowieża Primeval Forest in eastern Poland.
The following year, the winner was the 180-year-old Fabrykant Oak from the central city of Łódź and last year, the award went to a beech tree from the Wojsławice Arboretum in the southwest.
Its name reflects its central position in the upland region, the heart-shaped red leaves it produces in spring and its significance as a gathering place for the local community.
According to legend, the tree grants wishes to those who drop beech husks into its hollow.
The European Tree of the Year contest began in 2011 to encourage and support individuals actively caring for trees in their communities. This year’s edition featured 15 contenders from across the continent, each with a unique story and strong cultural ties to the land and people around them.
The ‘Heart of the Dalkowskie Hills’ claimed victory with a commanding lead of over 100,000 votes ahead of the runner-up, Portugal’s ‘The Lovers Banyan Tree,’ which earned more than 43,000 votes. Meanwhile, Spain’s ‘Pino de Juan Molinera’ took third place with nearly 37,000 votes.
Poland’s impressive domination of the competition stretches back to 2022, when the title went to the 400-year-old Dunin Oak, known as the Guardian of the Białowieża Primeval Forest in eastern Poland.
The following year, the winner was the 180-year-old Fabrykant Oak from the central city of Łódź and last year, the award went to a beech tree from the Wojsławice Arboretum in the southwest.
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