A 180-year-old oak tree in the Polish city of Łódź has been named European Tree of the Year 2023 at a ceremony in the European Parliament. It is the second year in a row that Poland has won the contest.
The tree, named Fabrykant (meaning “factory owner” in a nod to Łódź’s industrial past), received 45,718 votes from the general public in an online poll, almost 28,000 more votes than runner-up Dragon Oak from Slovakia. Ukraine’s Apple Tree Colony from Krolevets came third.
Fabrykant is located on the main avenue of Łódź’s Bishop Michał Klepacz Park, which was created at the end of the 19th century when the Richter family of factory owners purchased the area. The park is now owned by Łódź University of Technology and the tree is said to be a favourite spot for students to relax.
Described as “one of the most original trees in Poland” and “a symbol of longevity and wisdom,” Fabrykant’s canopy stretches 33 metres and one of its most distinctive features is a 20-metre-long s-shaped branch
“An extraordinary tree in an extraordinary place has been awarded the title of European Tree of the Year,” Jacek Bożek, president of environmental group Klub Gaja, announced. “This success is due to many people for whom nature is of great importance, also in the cultural and historical context.”
Klub Gaja organises the Polish edition of the competition, which Oak Fabrykant won in 2022, qualifying it for the European contest.
Bożek thanked those who voted online for Fabrykant to win the European title. He credited in particular the popular social media page “Make Life Harder”, run by blogger Jakobe Mansztajn, who campaigned to his over 1.2 million Instagram followers to vote for the tree.
Last year’s European Tree of the Year title was won by a 400-year-old oak, named Dunin, in Białowieża forest on Poland’s border with Belarus. Poland also won the competition in 2017, when a 650-year-old oak, Józef, in the south-eastern village of Wiśniowa was declared the winner.
The European Tree of the Year is an annual competition held to highlight the significance of trees in natural and cultural heritage. The contest claims not to focus on beauty, size or age but rather on a tree’s story and its connection to people.
The competition is held by the Environmental Partnership Association and began in 2011. Members of the public are invited in February to vote online for their favourite European tree from a list comprised of the winners of the national rounds.
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Main image credit: European Tree of the Year
Anna Hackett is an assistant editor at Notes from Poland. She is a recent graduate of European Studies from Trinity College Dublin and has had previous journalistic experience with the Irish Independent News & Media group.
