Exactly 100 years after the planting of the Cherry Orchard, active residents of Trenčín began to spread ideas for its renewal. The Citizens’ Initiative for the Restoration of the Cherry Orchard was formed and started the orchard restoration in 2015.
Difficult beginnings
The biggest problem in the Cherry Orchard was an overgrowth of wind-dispersed trees and thus the most difficult job had to be done at the very beginning:
- cleaning the orchard of garbage and regular mowing of the orchard,
- cutting down the trees on the castle hill, opening up a beautiful view of the Trenčín Castle from the Cherry Orchard,
- marking, sawing and removal of wind-dispersed trees.
Professional research
The forest clearing was followed by professional research. In the summer of 2015, the experts – pomologists, mapped the cherry trees in the orchard. All cherry trees were geodetically surveyed and their varieties identified. During the mapping, the experts assessed the viability of the trees and professionally pruned those cherries, in case of which such intervention could promote further growth. At the same time, the scion wood was cut off from the trees to preserve the gene pool of the traditional varieties.
New life in the orchard
After completing the care of the old cherry trees, it was time to plant new trees in the places that had been vacated after cutting the wind-dispersed trees. Between 2015 and 2019, sixty cherry trees of various varieties were planted. The Citizens’ Initiative for the Restoration of the Cherry Orchard also spurred public discussions on what the orchard should look like, and whether – and to what extent – it should be restored to its original form from the first half of the last century. Life also returned to the orchard in the form of public volunteer workteams and events organized for children, e.g. Svätojánska noc in Čerešňák (Saint John’s Eve in the Cherry Orchard), Children’s Day in Brezina, camping in the orchard and other. These works and activities continue even in 2020, at the time of installation of this information board.
Contacts
Web: tnceresnak.wix.com/ceresnak
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ceresnak
CEA, Mierové námestie 29, Trenčín, cea@cea.sk, +421 905 469 707
Brezina Forest Park Administration: Mestské hospodárstvo a správa lesov m.r.o., Soblahovská 65, 912 50 Trenčín mhsl@trencin.sk, +421 902 911 060
The renewal of the orchard, the organization of public volunteer workteams and events for families with children and the public is provided by the Citizens’ Initiative for the Restoration of the Cherry Orchard in cooperation with the Centre for Environmental Activities and the City of Trenčín.
We thank the following partners for their support and assistance in the restoration: Súkromná geodézia Trenčín, Kvitnúce záhrady, Eran, Vinycon, Johnson Controls, o. z. Genofond, Rotary Club Trenčín, Rotary Club Trenčín Laugaricio, Herbaria, EKO-BIO-FAIR obchod Malý princ
Challenge
Dear citizens and visitors of Trenčín, if you want to help us restore Čerešňák (the Cherry Orchard), you can choose one of the following:
- participating in our activities – volunteer workteams or events for children,
- more frequent visits to the orchard – the greatest reward for the initiators of the orchard renewal would be if the orchard gained back its status as a popular excursion place for the citizens of Trenčín,
- sharing your testimony of the history of Čerešňák – we kindly ask contemporaries to send or tell us their stories, memories and experiences related to Čerešňák, or send us old family photos that were taken here,
- a financial contribution for the renewal of the orchard.
Author: Citizens’ Initiative for the Restoration of the Cherry Orchard.
Pictures:
- Picture 1: Zdeno Šťastný
- Pictures 3 and 4: o. z. GenoFond, Zuzana Ištvánová
- Pictures 2 and 5: CEA archive
