The Polish tree won almost 150,000 online votes, leaving its European competitors far behind.
A majestic fig tree in Portugal garnered 43,000 votes, while a 400-year-old stone pine in Spain came in third with 37,000 votes.
The results of the annual competition were announced at a ceremony at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday.
A total of 15 trees from across Europe competed for the title.
Poland’s winning tree is known as The Heart of the Dalkowskie Hills. It is 30 metres tall, with a trunk circumference of 4.5 metres.
The tree owes its name to its central location in the Dalkowskie Hills as well as to the red colour of its leaves, the symbolic colour of the heart.
The tree is a popular gathering place for the local community, serving as a venue for concerts, workshops, book reading events and religious services.
According to legend, dropping peanuts into a hole in the tree will make one's wishes come true.
The victory of The Heart of the Dalkowskie Hills marks Poland’s fourth consecutive win in the European Tree of the Year competition.
In 2022, a 400-year-old oak from Przybudki in Poland’s northeastern Białowieża Forest took the title. In 2023, a 180-year-old common oak, nicknamed "Fabrykant," from the central Polish city of Łódź, won. Last year, a 200-year-old beech known as The Heart of the Garden, growing in Wojsławice, southwestern Poland, claimed the prestigious award
(mk/gs)