CENTURIES-OLD SYMBOL "BABIN HRAST" DISPLAYED IN DERVENTA'S PARK

"Babin Hrast," a symbol of Derventa for around 300 years, is now on display in the park near Ukrina. Information about this oak tree, in both Serbian and English, is inscribed on a plaque next to this unique example of a pedunculate oak.

PHOTO: Glas Srpske

Before it collapsed last year due to a storm, "Babin Hrast" stood in the Lug settlement alongside the Derventa-Prnjavor highway, being one of the most magnificent and largest pedunculate oak trees in Republika Srpska. Standing at 20 meters tall with a trunk diameter of around 190 centimeters, it was a rare specimen of the species.

Due to its exceptional environmental value, the Tourist Organization of the city took responsibility for the oak. Named after an old woman who lived in a nearby house, "Babin Hrast" remained a symbol and pride of the city, as well as a monument to the majestic pedunculate oak forest that once stretched along the Ukrina River valley.

The oak was under the protection of the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of Culture and Natural Rarities of the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1965, recognized as a natural and dendrological rarity. It was reevaluated by the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural and Historical Heritage and Natural Heritage in 2017 as a natural heritage site.

Following the oak's collapse, the City Administration supported the idea of the Tourist Organization and took care of the felling, pruning, transportation, and pedestals for exhibiting the oak. In addition to "Babin Hrast," there is also a pedunculate oak in Žeravac estimated to be around 400 years old, which could be declared a natural monument.