The 2020 Tree of the Year in Hungary

The Judas tree in Mélykút, S Hungary was elected as the Tree of the Year in Hungary this year in an online voting held by the the Ökotárs ('Eco companion') Foundation.

Ökotárs has been organizing the Hungarian Tree of the Year contest since 2010. They are are searching for the most lovable tree, a tree with a story that can bring the community together.

With the Tree of the Year competition, the foundation would like to draw attention to the trees living in our immediate environment and to the importance of nature in general and its role in our daily lives.

The winning Judas tree was probably brought to Mélykút by monks from nearby Szabadka (now Subotica, Serbia) and planted on the north side of a church built by the Grassalkovich family in the 1760-70s.

The Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum), is a small deciduous tree from Southern Europe and Western Asia which is noted for its prolific display of deep pink flowers in spring.