The smelter at the border of Banska Stiavnica, Czechoslovakia, worked for c200 yr; 15 yr after work stopped, first stadia of secondary succession were found with the dominating species Agrostis tenuis. With an increasing distance from the smelter work, Pb, Zn, Cu, As, and S contents decreased in both soil and plants. Species diversity, overground biomass increased, together with germination of A. tenuis seeds.