Officially Sochut Dendropark named after Edmund Leonowicz, commonly knowns as Stepanavan Dendropark, is an arboretum located near the Gyulagarak village, Lori Province, Armenia. Located around 85 km north of the capital Yerevan, the park was founded in 1931 by Polish engineer-forester Edmund Leonowicz.
Stepanavan Dendropark is the only garden in Southern Caucasus, that was transformed from a forest into an arboretum. The majority of the territory of Dendropark is still covered by the verdurous forest, while the rest is surrounded by exotic and unique plants and trees. The air is saturated with fragrant and healthful pine oil and, therefore, is recommended to all the people with breathing problems. There are approximately 500 plant types in Dendropark, among which California Sequoias and the Fir Greenhouse are the most peculiar ones.
There is a tradition connected with the beautiful wooden bridge, located in Dendropark. The wish made when passing the bridge for the first time, is believed to come true.
Key Facts
- The Stepanavan Dendropark is located at an altitude of 1550 meters above sea level. The climate here is quite cold. It is quite snowy here from December to March, and the total amount of precipitation is 550 mm / year.
- One of the most interesting "inhabitants" of the Dendropark is a California sequoia. Five, still young, seedlings have taken root well here and continue to grow. Unfortunately, when planting, the park staff did not quite correctly calculate the possible sizes of the “adult” sequoia, so after a few hundred years the trees could simply “collide” with trunks.