Kaldenkirchen Sequoia Farm

Nettetal, Germany, Germany

---

The Kaldenkirchen Sequoia Farm (Sequoiafarm Kaldenkirchen) is a 3.5-hectare arboretum located in the Kaldenkirchener Grenzwald forest within the city of Nettetal in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, just over the border from the Netherlands.

Founded around 1950 by Ernst and Illa Martin after a devastating 1947 fire destroyed much of the border forest, the farm holds special significance as the site where the first systematic cultivation of all three sequoia species in Europe took place in the mid-20th century. The arboretum features approximately 70-year-old coast redwoods reaching nearly 40 meters in height, Mountain redwoods, and dawn redwoods (Urweltmammutbäume), with seeds originally imported from California in 1950 and planted two years later, alongside more than 400 other rare woody plant species.

After serving for many years as a biological institute and research facility used by universities, the property has belonged since 2013 to the non-profit organization "Sequoiafarm e.V.," a small charitable association of sequoia enthusiasts dedicated to preserving the arboretum. The site is open free of charge (with donations requested) from April through October on Sundays and public holidays between 10:00 and 17:00, and group tours are available by arrangement.