The European Tree of the Year contest originated in 2011. It was inspired by the popular Tree of the Year contest, which has been organized in the Czech Republic by the Czech Environmental Partnership Foundation for many years.
The European round is a finale consisting of the winners of the national rounds.
The pine tree near the village of Chudobin (Olomouc Region) has been chosen as Europe’s tree of the year, beating stiff competition from a Croatian gingko tree, a Portuguese chestnut, and an English oak.
The Guardian of the Flooded Village has grown for 350 years on a rocky height.
According to a legend narrated by locals, a devil sat under the pine in the night and played the violin. However, it is much more likely that they were hearing the strong winds blowing over the valley. This pine tree is not only an important landmark but also an impressive testimony to its high resistance to climate change and human impact.
The ceremony for this year’s popular competition, which attracted more than 285,000 votes across Europe, was called off in Brussels because of the widespread coronavirus lockdown, and took place online instead, with a video presentation of the history of the three top trees.
Every year, the online voting for the European Tree of the Year is organized by Environmental Partnership Association (EPA), of which the Czech Environmental Partnership Foundation is a member.
