Index – Domestic – The Judas Tree from the Deep Well became the Tree of the Year this year

In an online vote with 5,091 votes, the Deep Well Judas Tree won the title of Tree of the Year this year. The Hero Tree title was awarded to the Bagolyvári Promenade alley in Balatonszemes, and the special award from the National Forestry Association was given to the common oak from Déri Square in Debrecen, the Ökotárs Foundation announced on its website on Thursday.

With the Tree of the Year contest, the foundation would like to draw attention to the trees that live in our immediate surroundings and to the importance of nature in general, their role in our daily life – read on the website.

The tree of Juda from the deep well, awarded the tree of the year, was probably brought by Franciscan monks from Subotica, Vojvodina, who were serving in Mélykút and planted in the settlement on the north side of the church built by the Grassalkovich family in the 1760s and 1970s.

According to folklore, the flowers of the Judas tree symbolize “the blood of our Lord Christ” and the flat seeds refer to the money of Judas. It is no wonder that this Mediterranean plant has survived on the north side of the church, more exposed to the elements and cold, and still exists to this day.

The church hill is a popular resting place and playground for residents of the settlement due to the proximity of the elementary school and the centrality of the church.

This year, 38 candidates participated in the Ökotárs competition, and the professional jury selected the 10 finalists. Of these, the audience chose their favorite by voting online between July 1 and October 1.

This year, a record 20,464 votes were received compared to the previous year, and support for trees on podium seats in particular has constantly changed during voting weeks.

Behind the Judas tree in Deepút, the oak of the Déri square in Debrecen came in second place and the plane trees of the castle of Tisza in Gestti took third place.