The tree called in Croatian "Belina Lipa" was named after that ruler, Béla IV, who was the King of Hungary and Croatia between 1235 and 1270.
The local authorities, the public institution tasked with the preservation of nature in Varaždin County and the Croatian Forest Research Institute have joined efforts to include the Belina Lipa tree as well as a unique linden tree in the Opeka Arboretum in Vinica, Varaždin County, in a gene pool conservation project.
The conservation of the gene pools of such trees is of great importance for the local communities and for the whole county, Prefect Anđelko Stričak said on Tuesday.