Two cloned lime trees from the Napoleonic era were planted in Petrinja, Croatia, on 20 October 2022.
To mark the European Heritage Days, two lime trees were planted on the morning of 20 October 2022 in front of the Vrata Zrinske Gore ecological centre of Petrinja by H.E. Gael Veyssiere, Ambassador of France to Croatia, and Mrs Magdalena Komes, Mayor of Petrinja.
Genetically cloned byCroatian Forest Research Institute from those planted in the municipal park of Petrinja dating back to the Napoleonic era of the Illyrian Provinces, these lime trees express the ties of Franco-Croatian friendship and the town's cultural and ecological commitment. They also symbolise the building of a resilient future following the earthquake of 2020, which greatly affected the town of Petrinja.
Petrinja has been a member of the European Federation of Napoleonic Cities since 2015. At the event, Dubravka Davidovic presented the work of the Federation in Croatia, introduced by the greetings of Charles Bonaparte, founder of the Federation.
The event, supported by the Petrinja Tourist Office and the Zrinska gora association, will be included in the April 2023 edition of Destination Francophonie TV5 Monde's special on Croatia. Stay tuned to know more!
Detailed programme of the event (20 October 2022, Petrinja, Croatia).
- 10:00. Petrinja Municipal Park
- This historic park, which has been protected since 1969, contains four two-hundred-year-old lime trees planted at the time of the Illyrian Provinces. In 2015, the French Ambassador to Croatia, Michèle BOCCOZ, planted a young lime tree in front of the park, and in commemoration of this event, a commemorative plaque will be unveiled by Gaël VEYSSIÈRE, the current French Ambassador to Croatia.
- 10:30. Ecological Centre Vrata Zrinske gore
- Gaël VEYSSIÈRE, French ambassador to Croatia, and Magdalena KOMES, mayor of the town of Petrinja, plant the two lime trees, clones of those planted in the Municipal Park at the time of the Illyrian Provinces.
- 11:00. Cultural and educational events at the ecological centre
- Poster presentation of Petrinja as a Napoleonic town
- Presentation of the European Federation of Napoleonic Cities, of which Petrinja is a member since 2015
- Presentation of the linden tree, its honey and derived products
- Tasting of honey, Bermet (a grape-based drink) and other regional products
- Regional music
