On an exceptional research locality, strongly acidic, nutrient poor and Cu-enriched soils were anthropogenically created in a continental climate and calcareous surrounding. How would Nature, if left to its own, recover from this long-term and large scale pollution which has completely transformed the landscape? Using multivariate approach, space-for time substitution, and a lucky circumstance of highly patterned vegetation and soil gradients, this study sheds new light on ecological principles which underpin spontaneous succession. In particular, it offers new insights into the role of surrounding vegetation under severe environmental filtering, the functional adaptation underlying the observed novel species assemblages, and points out the overwhelming importance of nutrient deficiency on structuring the revegetation process. Finally, the pre-disaster vegetation is not likely to get established even if very high soil Cu are allowed to be leached to background levels. This study offers one interesting "would be" scenario relevant for the praxis of ecological restoration.