ZAGREB, February 9, 2020 – A 242-year old male ginko biloba tree in the town of Daruvar, about 130 kilometres east of Zagreb, and dubbed “Ginko in love” is Croatia’s entry for the European Tree of the Year.
“Ginko in love” was nominated as Croatia’s representative in the European Tree of the Year for 2020 after winning the national contest in 2019.
The tree in Daruvar has a luxurious treetop and impressive height and is one of 16 finalists in the prestigious competition that has been organised since 2011.
This year’s contest is taking place from February 1 to 29 and is open to a public online vote at www.treeoftheyear.org. This contest does not necessarily choose the wining tree for its beauty but rather it is about the story of the tree and its connections to the local community.
The winning tree will be announced in Brussels on 17 March at an award ceremony marking a decade of the competition.
Ginko is the oldest tree sort on the planet and has existed for more than 200 million years, while Daruvar’s ginko is the largest and oldest in all of Croatia and the second oldest in Europe.
The male ginko biloba in Daruvar is called Adam. It is located in front of the southern entrance to the Antun Jankovic castle and is 242 years old. It trunk has a circumference of seven metres and is protected by the Nature Protection Act as a monument of parkland architecture.
A female ginko is growing in Adam’s shadow. Her name is Eve. Thanks to their joint history, the story of “Ginko in love” emerged and it was nominated for this year’s Tree of the Year contest.
More Daruvar news can be found in the Lifestyle section.
