The 110-year-old tree, popularly known as The Crooked Tree, grows on an island above a moat near a former castle once owned by the Szydłowiecki and Radziwiłł families. Its distinctive, leaning shape is the result of its location, tilting toward the water.
According to the European Tree of the Year website, the elm has long been "a silent witness to friendly meetings and youthful romances." Its trunk once served as a natural bench for children and teenagers, while today it is mostly used by wildlife.
The Crooked Tree is one of 12 trees competing for the title. The other finalists grow in Slovakia, Portugal, Britain, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Croatia, France, the Netherlands and Ukraine.
Public voting for the 2026 contest runs through February 22 at treeoftheyear.org/vote. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony at the European Parliament on March 24.
Poland has won the European Tree of the Year title four times in a row.
In 2022, a 400-year-old oak named Dunin from Przybudki in the Białowieża Forest, near Poland’s border with Belarus, won the competition. In 2023, the title went to a 180-year-old common oak nicknamed Fabrykant, which grows in the central city of Łódź. A year later, a 200-year-old beech known as The Heart of the Garden, growing in Wojsławice in southwestern Poland, claimed the prestigious award.
In 2025, a 300-year-old beech tree from the Dalkowskie Hills in southwestern Poland was voted European Tree of the Year.
The European Tree of the Year contest is organized by the Brussels-based Environmental Partnership Association and aims to highlight the cultural and natural significance of trees, with an emphasis on their stories and ties to local communities.
(mk/gs)