Changes to vegetation and soil were assessed in primeval forests of the Eastern Carpathians after a period of 59–68 years. We hypothesized that forest ecosystems were acidified through the long-distance transport of air pollutants. A total of 141 relevés and 20 soil profiles that had been studied in 1938 in spruce- and beech-dominated forests along an altitudinal gradient ranging from 1085–1575 m a.s.l. were re-surveyed from 1997 to 2006. Relevés were analyzed using multidimensional statistics and plant community characteristics (Shannon–Wiener’s index, equitability, fidelity, Ellenberg indication values – EIV); soil reaction and sorption complex properties were analyzed in soils.