forrás: MTI

The tree won the title with 72,653 votes ahead of 14 entries from another 14 countries, the EC-supported Environmental Partnership Association (EPA) said in a statement in Brussels on Wednesday evening.

Downy oak of Bataszek European Tree of the Year
Bataszek oak tree Photo: okotars.hu

 

The oak of Bataszek survived as a memory of a forest from the 18th century and the chapel built behind it. The tree and the chapel guard the town and its people who also found protection here during a flood in 1956. According to local tradition, the trunk of the oak has to be sprinkled with wine in order to ensure next year’s rich grape harvest, EPA said on its website. Locals will celebrate the title on May 25.

The European Tree of the Year contest is held annually since 2002 to highlight the significance of old trees that need preservation.