An old oak from the town of Cajvana, in Romania’s Suceava county, is on the finalists’ list for the 2018 European Tree of the Year.

The contest aims to find the tree with the most interesting story. Online voting is open until February 28, and the winners will be announced at the Award Ceremony that will be organized in Brussels on March 21. Voters have to select two trees.

The oak in Romania is believed to be 750 years old, and can be voted here.

“Local inhabitants believe that this tree dates from the time of the great Tatar invasion (1241), when all the people from the area died in battle. They would have been buried in a common pit, at the site of which this oak was planted. According to another legend, in 1476 Moldavian Prince Stefan cel Mare, accompanied by his soldiers, rested in the shade of this tree, where they were served with fresh cheese - caș in Romanian, hence the name Cajvana,” reads the Romanian oak’s story shared on the contest’s website.

The list of finalists also includes trees with interesting stories from Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, and the UK. Find the full list here.

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Treeoftheyear.org; photo by Nicolae Robu)