Russian poplar took 3rd place in the international competition “European Tree of the Year 2020”
Results of the international competition “European Tree – 2020” have been summed up. According to the results of the online voting, the Russian tree “Lonely Poplar” won an honorable third place with 27,411 votes. In second place is Ginkgo from Daruvar, Republic of Croatia - 28,060 votes. The winner of the competition was a tree from the Czech Republic. 47,226 votes were given for the “Guardian of the Flooded Village”.
Let us recall that the “Lonely Poplar” grows in the Khar-Buluk village of the Republic of Kalmykia. According to legend, this poplar was planted at the beginning of the XX century by a Buddhist monk. He brought seeds from Tibet, where he made a pilgrimage. The monk laid the seeds in a road stick and buried it on the highest point of the hill in the boundless steppe. Poplar turned into a gigantic tree with sprawling branches casting a thick shadow. Everyone who made long crossings on horses stopped here to rest and turned to the poplar with requests. Desires were fulfilled. The “Lonely Poplar” is revered in Kalmykia as a shrine, its age is 103 years.
The international competition “European Tree of the Year” has been held since 2011. Its purpose is to identify trees with the most interesting history in different countries of the world and emphasize their importance in the natural and cultural heritage. Therefore, the main criteria for selecting contestants and winners are not beauty, size or age, but the history of the tree and its ties with people.