November 16, 2020 – Sheltering a public square in the pretty Istrian village where she resides, The Oldest Lady in Medulin is Croatia Tree of the Year 2020 and will represent the country in the European Tree of the Year competition 2021

Najstarija Medulinka (the oldest lady in Medulin) is the winner of the Croatia Tree of the Year competition. She beat seven other contenders in a public vote set up by the competition's organisers, the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas of Nature of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. The Oldest Lady in Medulin will now represent Croatia in the European Tree of the Year competition 2021.

The Oldest Lady in Medulin © Sonja Barbara Bader

The Oldest Lady in Medulin can be found in centrally in her village, which lies at the south of the Istrian peninsula. She shelters a public square in the village of Medulin and much merriment has previously 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 Oldest Lady in Medulin won Croatian Tree of the Year 2020 with 9373 votes. The tree is 115 years old. This species, Celtis australis, is widespread in Mediterranean countries and can grow up to 25 metres in height. It has been said these trees can live up to 400 years. Their branches are pliable when young and so, in the past, the tree has been used to make walking sticks and the handles of some tools. It's small fruits and its leaves are sometimes still used in folk medicine.

As many as 23,238 people this year voted in the Croatia Tree of the Year competition. The tree which came in second place was the London Planetree of Mursko Središće, Međimurje County with 5874 votes, and in third place was Baka Maslina (Grandmother's olive tree) from Kaštel Štafilić in Split-Dalmatia County with 5068 votes.

Voting for European Tree of the Year will open on 1st February 2021 and people will be able to choose a favourite until 28 February 2021, when voting closes. The winner will be announced in Brussels on 21 March 2021 on World Forest Day. Croatia first participated in the European Tree of the Year competition in 2018 and last year narrowly missed winning the competition. The country took second place for its 2020 entry, the 242-year-old Ginkgo biloba tree which stands in front of Castle Janković in Daruvar.

The 242-year-old Ginkgo biloba tree which stands in front of Castle Janković in Daruvar, Croatia Tree of the Year 2019 © JU-Priroda-BBŽ

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.


© Općina Visoko

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.

© Zagreb County Tourist Board

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.

© Hrvoje Krivošić

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.

© arhive JU zastita prirode SMZ

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.

© Foto Luigi Opatija

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.

© Ivana Topic

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.

© Sonja Barbara Bader

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.

© Davorin Mance / Turistička Zajednica Međimurske Županije

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 

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