Dennin Oak competed for first place in this year's European Tree Contest

The competition called “European Tree of the Year” was launched in 2011 in the Czech Republic. First, the national stage occurs, during which trees are selected in individual European countries. The winners of the national stages participate in the continental final. This year, among the 16 contenders for the prize, there is also a candidate from Poland – oak “Dunin”, known as the Guardian of the Białowiea Forest. The competition activities in Poland are coordinated by Club Gaja of Bielsko-Biała.

Competitions of this type have been going on for 12 years. They are held all over Europe Searching for trees With the most interesting stories. Voting continues until February 28, 2022. Each voter chooses two of his or her candidates from among all sixteen candidates. He sees his and previous voting results instantly. However, last week (Feb 22-28), the vote was secret. This means that you will not be able to find the current number of votes on the site.

The goal of the European Tree of the Year competition It is the interest in ancient trees of interest as an important natural and cultural heritage to be cherished and preserved. In this year’s European Tree Contest, unlike other competitions, the deciding factor is not beauty, size or age, but history and the relationships between trees and humans. We are looking for trees that have become an integral part of society. Trees are essential to our lives and are an important link between the past, present and future. It cools the summer heat, helps to take a deep breath and stabilizes the climate. Therefore, we must protect them and take care of them.

– say the contest authors.

Oak pedunculated “Dinin”, Which won the national competition Tree of the Year 2021, with nearly 7,500 votes, grows in the village of Przybodki in the Nario municipality of Podlasie. Polish competitors have already stood on the podium in the European competition three times.

In 2017, Oak Józef z Wiśniowa won the European Tree of the Year title in the Podkarpacie region. Four years ago A flat tree of goats near Bielsko-Biała It took second place, and in 2014, the oak of Wipeki in Bodomin in Pomerania took third place. The winner will also be chosen by netizens this time. Legend has it that Dnin was left where it grew, to show where the Białowiea Forest was.

The winner will be announced on March 22nd during a gala party. You can vote online. Subscription is free. The organizer of this year’s European Tree Contest is the Environmental Partnership Association (EPA), and its role in Poland is coordinated by the environmentalists of Club Gaga.

Denin Oak has a tough competition:

The mammoth tree from Croatia is one of the oldest trees in Europe.

The mammoth tree from Belgium was described in a comic book;

It is said that the Lyrical Lemon Tree of Bohemia forbade the psalms hidden here in the seventeenth century;

The majestic King Pine grew up in Estonia around the time when Swedish King Gustav Adolf II founded the University of Tartu;

Lipa Tilia from Holland is the first ever Tree to have an Instagram account, with more than 3000 followers watching her journey through the seasons;

The weeping Japanese sofas at the Csokonai Theater in Debrecen are a local curiosity in Hungary;

The old big oak of Latvia reminds everyone that this country has the second highest density of big trees in Europe;

According to legend, the “Italian Chestnut of a Hundred Horse” sheltered Queen Joan of Aragon herself from the storm;

Turgenev Oak from Russia is associated with the person of the great writer Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev;

Weeping Slovak oak “Umbrella of the High Tatras” is a symbol of Stary Smokovic, who is taken care of by the rescuers of the mountain rescue service;

The Spanish Liberty Tree (oak from the Banquet Forest) saw the Democrats’ Conxo Banquet in 1856 – a revolutionary act that affirmed the ideals of the new Europe: liberty, equality, and fraternity;