The lime tree at Lipka, Solitary notable tree in Lipka, Horní Bradlo, Czech Republic
The lime tree at Lipka is a small-leaved lime with a trunk circumference of 905 cm (2016) and a height of 32 m, making it one of the five largest small-leaved limes in Bohemia. Its crown, 26 m in diameter, is supported by a low-forked, hollow trunk that was originally triple but lost one stem. It stands by the yellow hiking trail near the former Gothic fortress in Lipka.
The lime tree stands roughly halfway between the Kustoš of Zubří tomb and the Lipka manor, a Gothic fortress founded in the 13th century and rebuilt as a Renaissance chateau by Jan Kustoš between 1561 and 1588. The tomb was built by Princess Vilemína of Auersperg in 1871, reportedly rebuilt after a lightning strike on 29 June 1876, and restored to its present form in 1936.
The lime stands about halfway between the Kustoš of Zubří tomb and the Lipka manor, on the yellow-marked hiking trail. The tomb was built by Princess Vilemína of Auersperg in 1871 and rebuilt after a lightning strike on 29 June 1876; it took its present form in 1936, when the crypt was cleaned and four sandstone gravestones were set into a new stone wall.
The tree sits beside a passable road and is easily approachable from the roadside, allowing visitors to stop without difficulty. It offers a natural resting point for those walking through the countryside and provides good views from several angles.
In 2016 the tree won the Czech Tree of the Year poll with more than 55,000 votes, then took third place in the 2017 European Tree of the Year contest. Its hollow trunk splits low and the crown measures 26 m across.
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