8 PHOTOS: Finalists For Croatian Tree Of The Year 2020

One of the finalists for Croatian Tree Of The Year 2020

October 8, 2020 – The competition to find Croatian Tree Of The Year 2020 has begun. Here we look at pictures of the candidates in all their glory

The start of October saw details released of the candidates for Croatian Tree Of The Year 2020. The winner will be chosen by public vote. Many different kinds of tree have been chosen for Croatian Tree Of The Year 2020 and this year’s finalists come from all over Croatia. They range in age considerably – one of them is a relatively young sapling, whereas another is more than 1500 years old.

All of the candidates for Croatian Tree Of The Year 2020 are on public display. None are hidden faraway within private grounds. You can visit each and every one of them in person. But, you might not have time to race around the whole of Croatia to check them out before voting closes. So, here are pictures of all the contenders for Croatian Tree Of The Year 2020. Details on how to vote at the bottom of the page.

Impresivni Gorostas (Impressive Giant) is an Austrian oak situated in Visoko, Varaždin County. At over 300 years old, he is aged enough to have lent his name to the small settlement that grew up around him. Struck recently by lightning, he is still impressive.

Uskočka lipa na Žumberku is a large-leafed Linden tree located in the Žumberak Nature Park, in the hills of Samobor. Uskoči comes from the Croatian word uskočiti, meaning to ‘jump in’. Uskoči were bands of men not always under the direct control of governing forces in Croatia, but who nevertheless fought against the Turks. Bandits, paramilitaries, if you will. They are more associated with Dalmatia, particularly life in the Dinaric Alps, from where they would launch guerilla raids on the Turkish. Often made up of refugees from Bosnia, Hercegovina and parts of Croatia under Turkish rule, the Uskoči of Žumberak are credited with a fierce defence of the locale and prevention of Turkish encroachment to the west.

Lepa Lipa (Beautiful Linden) is a large-leafed Linden tree that can be found in the village of Slum, Istria County. The tree sits next to a small church and local children have played beneath its branches for longer than anyone can remember – the tree is older than 500 years.

Žirko is an oak tree from the city of Sisak in Sisak-Moslavina County. The smallest and youngest entrant to Croatian Tree Of The Year 2020, Žirko is actually a clone of a tree called Julius that lived on the same site for over 300 years. Standing 31 metres high, with a trunk of 446 centimetres and with a huge 36-metre expanse of branch circumference, Julius was sadly felled by a storm in 2014. Žirko continues his legacy.

Cedar in the Park of Newlyweds is an Atlas Cedar from Opatija in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Standing in the Park of St. Jakov since 1886, newly married couples would exit the church next door and often be pictured under the tree. This type of pine is so-called because it is native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, to the Rif, and to the Tell Atlas in Algeria.

Baka Maslina (Grandmother’s olive tree) grows in Kaštel Štafilić, Split-Dalmatia County. At over 1500 years, this grand dame is the oldest tree in the selection and has an incredible 130 m2 canopy.

Najstarija Medulinka (the oldest lady in Medulin) can be found in Istria County. She shelters a public square in the village of Medulin and much merriment has taken place at gatherings beneath her branches. In English, this type of tree is sometimes called European nettle tree, Mediterranean hackberry, lote tree, or honeyberry.

The northernmost dwelling of entries to Croatian Tree Of The Year 2020, this London Planetree can be found in Mursko Središće, Međimurje County, not far from the border with Slovenia. Hedging his bets, this is actually two trees that live side-by-side. It is spectacularly located atop a small hill and creates a postcard-pretty image on the skyline for many miles around.

Croatian Tree Of The Year 2020 is organised by the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas of Nature of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. You can vote for your favourite here. The winner will be announced on November 6 and will automatically be nominated as the Croatian entry for European Tree Of The Year 2021. Last year’s Croatian Tree of the Year was the 242-year-old Ginkgo biloba tree that stands in front of Castle Janković in Daruvar. It won second place in the European Tree Of The Year competition among 16 finalists.

Last year’s winner of Croatian Tree of the Year, the 242-year-old Ginkgo biloba tree that stands in front of Castle Janković in Daruvar © JU-Priroda-BBŽ