Famous oak tree that sheltered Jewish brothers from the Nazis during the Holocaust wins 'Tree of the Year in Europe' competition for 2017.

In the town of Vishniova, in southeastern Poland, a famous oak tree known as "Jozef" grew.

With the outbreak of World War II, two Jewish brothers with the family name "Himi" decided to find a hiding place in the large tree trunk.

Historians who investigated the story claim that the Himi brothers escaped from the nearby "Pristeck" ghetto and found refuge from the Nazis in the large tree trunk, after a Polish citizen who lived nearby showed them the tree and its hiding place.

Since the end of the Second World War, the tree has become a famous tourist attraction and many tourists have come to Vishniova be photographed nearby. An illustration of the tree appeared on bills of 100 Polish zloty.

The oak tree "Jozef" has now been selected as the "Tree of the Year in Europe" in a competition held since 2011 in which a famous tree with special historical significance is chosen. The competition takes place in order to emphasize the importance of ancient trees and prevent their destruction.

This year trees from 16 countries took part in the competition. Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world took part in the vote. "The hiding place within the tree trunk was brought to the attention of the Jewish brothers by a woman named Rosalia Prushak. The space in the trunk was huge, people said it had two levels, the bottom was used for hiding while the top was used for observation. But their fate after the war is unknown," said Jakub Pavlovski of the Olme Family Museum in the city of Markov, where Jews hid during the Holocaust.

Robert Gudek, the head of the Vishniova district, accepted the "Tree of the Year" award on "Jozef's" behalf for hiding the Jewish brothers inside it. "I sincerely thank all residents of Vishniova and the citizens of Europe who chose Jozef as the tree of the year in Europe, and we will celebrate the win as this tree deserves it," said Gudek.