Detailed review by magdadh
magdadh
Perth, United Kingdom90%
Puszcza Bialowieska translates as Bialowieza Forest but “forest doesn't quite describe the connotations of the Polish word “puszcza which means much more than just a forest or woodland: it refers to something primeval, large and thick. In the UK terms it will be similar to “ancient woodland, but Puszcza Bialowieska goes back further than the 1600 stipulated for the UK “ancient forest designation: parts of the Puszcza are old-growth virgin forest and at least ten thousand years old. This is the best example of the type of woodland that would have, for thousands of years, covered most of the European lowlands.
Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as “the last remaining primary deciduous and mixed forest of the European lowlands, Puszcza straddles the current Polish Belorussian border south of the Polish city of Bialystok and is protected in a combination of areas with a status of a National Park on both sides of the border as well as containing some areas of strict nature reserve with a restricted access. Bialowieza National Park is the oldest in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe, but it actually has enjoyed legal protection (though not uninterrupted) since early 16th century as the hunting reserve of the kings of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The old-growth woodland shelters a plethora of animal species, including elk, stag, roe deer, wild boar, lynx, wolf, fox, marten, badger, otter, ermine, beavers; eagle owls, peregrine falcon and bats. The showcase species in Bialowieza Forest is, however, the wisent, also known as the European Bison (“zubr in Polish), the heaviest surviving land animal in Europe. About 750 live in the Puszcza, approximately 450 in the Polish section. Some are also kept in enclosures near to the National Park's visitors centre (Rezerwat Pokazowy Zubra: Demonstration Wisent Reserve). They also breed Tarpan horses in Bialowieza, which also can be seen when visiting the national park.
There are several ways to visit the Bialowieza National Park, some of them possible individually and some only with a guide or as a part of organised group. There are three marked trails within the Hwozna Protective Unit (car parks at Carska Tropina and Zamosze) where walking, cycling, skiing and horse riding is possible. Access to the older, strictly protected part of the reserve (Orlowka section, closer to the Bialowieza vistors' centre) is only allowed with a guide, but probably worth it if you can get a good group together. The National Park has reasonably price guest rooms at their visitors' centre in the Palace Park in Bialowieza.
I have visited individually as well as a part of a school group, and it's definitely worth making some time to explore the trails at your own pace rather than just being run around the zoo-like sections.
Bialowieza National Park10
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