Prague, July 14 (CTK) – Czech associations plan to commemorate 100 years of the establishment of Czechoslovakia on October 28, 1918 by planting “lime trees of the republic” and they are trying to map the lime trees planted during the previous anniversaries within this project.
The Partnership foundation has prepared the Trees of Freedom 1918-2018 project.
It says on its website that people planted thousands of lime trees in 1918 and 1919 in honour of the foundation of the independent Czechoslovakia.
“Trees were decorated with ribbons, houses with small flags, people were singing the anthem and commemorative sheets were buried at the tree roots,” the organisation describes the then celebrations.
Besides, people planted lime trees during the anniversaries in 1928 and 1968 and after the liberation in 1945.
The foundation plans to organise the Days of Freedom Trees from October 20 till 28 during which it will provide 100 small-leaved limes (Tilia cordata) for planting.
At the same time, it is mapping the lime trees planted in the past. It has included more than 1900 trees into its interactive map, along with their stories.
Almost 300 organisations and individuals have so far joined the project.
Another activity is the effort to treat old trees.
The project is held under the auspices of several personalities, such as dissident singer Marta Kubisova and Olympic athletes Gabriala Koukalova and Petr Koukal.
The foundation is collecting finances for its activities through crowdfunding on its website www.darujspavne.cz. It has so far collected some 200,000 crowns.
The Lime Trees of the Republic 1918-2018 project has prepared similar activities. It is also documenting the lime trees planted in the past on its website. Its aides have so far found several hundred of them.
It also advises people how to plant a lime tree in the best possible way and gets them acquainted with the history of ” the lime trees of the republic.”
