Arboretum Antonín
Amid wood species from around the world
An extensive forest park was established for reclamation purposes in the Sokolov Basin on the spoil heap of the old Antonín open-pit brown coal mine. The Antonín (Luitpold) open pit located in close proximity to the town of Sokolov operated in 1881-1965. An inner spoil heap was established in the open-pit mine for the disposal of overburden soil from the surrounding coal mines. The spoil heap was in use until 1968, at which time it already rose nearly 50 m above the surrounding terrain.
The spoil heap was forested in the 1970s. A specialized research area, which was used for experimental verification of optimal compositions of forest reclamation areas, was created in the central part of the heap. After a few decades of having been left to its own devices, a unique forest park with more than 200 wood species and subspecies, often very rare and isolated, developed in the area.
The forest park is a place where the residents of Sokolov can go for walks and the object of research activities for students of a nearby high school.
