The area of the Park is 10501.95 hectares, of which 4747 hectares are under strict protection. A lagging area of 3224.26 hectares has been created around the Park. It covers part of the Bialowieza Forestwhich is Europe's largest lowland prairie preserved in its natural state. The entire Primeval Forest covers an area of 125,000 hectares, of which 58,000 hectares are in Poland. The territory of the Park is a flat area, without clear hills, with little variation in relief. There is a lack of vantage points. The Park is dominated by formations of post-glacial origin, primarily various forms of sand, clay and loam. They are supplemented by peats of low and transitional bogs located on rivers and raised bogs. The largest area of the Park is occupied by oak-lime-hornbeam forests of the oak-hornbeam type. Along the rivers and periodic watercourses there are alder and ash forests. In drainless terrain basins with stagnant water, swamp alder forests have formed. Poorer soils are occupied by various forms of mixed forests with spruce. Small areas of former raised bogs are occupied by swamp forests.A closed bison breeding center and show pens with bison, bison, deer, wild boar, Polish horse and wolf have been established in the Park. Due to its unique natural qualities, Bialowieza National Park was recognized by UNESCO as a world biosphere reserve in 1977. It was also placed on the list of World Heritage Sites. In December 1992. In December 1992 UNESCO extended the boundaries of the World Heritage Site to the strictly protected part of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park adjacent to the Park. The Park has a very interesting natural museum named after J. Miklaszewski and a historical complex called Palace Park (with an English-style park). In addition to 130 species of trees and shrubs, the Palace Park is home to one of the most beautiful groups of old oak trees, with 17 trees aged 600 to 800 years. In total, nearly 1,600 trees corresponding to the criteria for natural monuments were found in the Park's strict protection area. The so-called Marshal's House houses the headquarters of the Park's management. In Bialowieza National Park, 183 barrows were found, mostly from the early medieval period. The main object of the Park, the so-called strict nature reserve, can be visited on foot, in groups not exceeding 25 people, only with an authorized guide. It is possible to obtain permission to travel by horse-drawn vehicle (chaise, sleigh) or bicycle. A route of about 8 km in length is made available for general tourists. Longer routes are available for specialized groups, each time on the basis of a separate permit from the park director. Accommodation for tourists is provided by the Iwa Hotel, PTTK Tourist House, School Youth Hostel, Hunting Lodge, camping ground, guest rooms of Zubrowka Restaurant and private accommodation in neighboring Bialowieza. Bialowieza Forest - a forest complex with an area of 1250 sq. km, of which 580 sq. km are within Polish borders. The rest lies within the territory of Belarus. The complex is located on the border of Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The physiography of the area has influenced the special character of the Forest, distinguished by the affinity of the plant cover and animal world with the nature of Northeastern Europe and Central Europe. Geologically, the Forest is located in the area of the Central Polish glaciation, the denuded Bielska Plain, bordering the edges of Polesia to the east. The terrain is almost level, with only rare undulations of moraine ramparts of insignificant height. The average elevation above sea level is 170 m , the highest is 202 m. In the middle of the Forest flows the Narewka River, collecting water from the eastern, central and northern parts of the Forest. Another Pushcha river, the Lesna, is fed by waters from the northwestern part of the Pushcha. Despite the apparent uniformity of habitat conditions, resulting from the flat nature of the Pushcha area, the plant world, including above all the species composition of forest stands, is represented as a forest mosaic full of diverse forms and varieties. The following types are found here: high oak-hornbeam, low oak-hornbeam, pine forest, coniferous forest, mixed forest, swamp forest and alder forest. In each of these types grow characteristic, different undergrowth plants. Well-preserved, massive specimens of spruce, linden, hornbeam, maple and oak trees are also peculiarities. Water Bialowieza Forest lies at the watershed of the Vistula and Nemunas. There are no lakes or major rivers in the national park. The most valuable area of the park under strict protection lies in the forks of the Hwoźna and Narewka rivers. The Orlowka River has its sources in this area. The tributaries of the Narewka: Lutownia, Przedzielna and Braszcza flow through the area annexed to the park in 1996. Vegetation The flora of the Park has about 4,500 species, including 728 species of vascular plants, 277 species of lichens and more than 3,000 species of fungi. Particularly rare plants of the Park include the European creeper, Siberian scythe, mountain arnica, fragrant turmeric and swamp violet. There are 40 plant communities in the Park, among which forest communities predominate. Dominant among them are various forms of oak-hornbeam; rarer are riparian forests and mixed forests. Very small areas are occupied by fresh and swamp forests. Particularly noteworthy is the Strict Protection Area, where practically no forestry work has been carried out since 1921. According to inventory data, in 1991 the average age of forest stands in this area was 126 years (the average for Poland is 54 years). Many of the forest's trees are impressive in size and age. The tallest spruces reach over 52 meters in height. The oldest oak trees are over 400 years old. Some of them are becoming legendary, such as the Jagiello Oak, which was knocked down (in 1974) by the wind when it was about 500 years old. Animals The park's fauna is rich and consists of more than 12,000 species, among which invertebrates predominate. The most numerous (about 8,500 species) group is insects. In all groups there are many rare or protected species. About 120 species of birds nest in the park, there are 7 species of reptiles and 11 species of amphibians. The symbol of the park is the bison. The last bison living in the wild became extinct in the Bialowieza Forest in 1919. The species was reintroduced to the Park in 1929. Currently, the free-ranging herd in the Polish part of the Forest numbers about 250 animals. There are 54 species of mammals in the Park, including wolf, lynx, beaver and bison. Material culture, tourism and education Traces of early settlement in the Bialowieza Forest include numerous well-preserved barrows. Bialowieza Glade and Bialowieza, the main town of the Forest, long enjoyed the favor of the rulers. In the Stara Bialowieza enclosure, in the place where the alleged hunting manor of Wladyslaw Jagiello was supposed to be, there is a group of old Pushcha oak trees bearing the names of the rulers of Lithuania and Poland. A commemorative obelisk was erected to commemorate the 1752 hunting trip of King August III Sas. At the end of the 19th century, a hunting residence of the Russian tsars was built here, around which an English-type park was established. The tsar's palace burned down in 1944.Bialowieza is a well-known scientific center. There are institutions here, including the Polish Academy of Sciences, the University of Warsaw and the Forest Research Institute, which specialize in the study of natural forest ecosystems. The Park is the site of numerous researches conducted by scientists from many centers in Poland and abroad. Visiting the Park's main site, the Strict Protection Area, is only possible in organized groups under the supervision of an authorized guide. One hiking trail of 4 km in length is made available in this area. In the part annexed to the Park in 1996 (Hwoźna Conservation Area) there are two marked hiking and bicycle trails with a length of 6.5 and 11.5 km. A tower has also been built for animal observation in the Narewka valley. The Bison Show Reserve and the Natural History Museum (currently being rebuilt) are very popular. The Park has a Nature Education Center named after Prof. J.J. Karpinski. The Park runs the largest Bison Breeding Center in Poland and edits and publishes the "Bison Pedigree Book". BPN also has an editorial board of the scientific quarterly "National Parks and Nature Reserves". The "Bibliography of the Bialowieza Forest" is systematically published. 451 bison, including 52 young ones born last year, live in the wild in the Polish part of the Bialowieza Forest - such are the results of the annual (2010) count of these animals. In addition to the herd living in smaller groups in the wild, another 40 live in the show and breeding reserves. In Poland, free-living bison can now also be found in other places, including the Bieszczady Mountains, the Pilsko Forest, the Borecka Forest and the Knyszynska Forest.
04.07.2013
