Białowieża Forest, Belarus/Poland

Białowieża National Park in Poland
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Poland_Bialowieza_-_BPN.jpg
Author: Merlin


The Białowieża Forest is the only remaining example of the type of forest that once covered the whole of Europe. It extends from Poland to Belarus, where it is called Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The gazetted national park covers an area of 92,669 hectares.

Located on the watershed of the Baltic and Black Seas, the Białowieża Forest is home to a wide diversity of wildlife. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site at the 3rd session of the World Heritage Committee which met in Luxor and Cairo, Egypt, on 22-26 October, 1979.

The Białowieża National Park is a habitat for a variety of wildlife including the wolf, the lynx, the otter, as well as some 300 European bisons, which was reintroduced into the park in 1929. The birds found in this forest include the corncrake, the white-tailed eagle, the white stork, the peregrine falcon and the eagle owl.

Royal Oak, Białowieża National Park, Poland
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Poland_Bialowieza_-_royal_oaks.jpg
Author: Merlin

What to See in Białowieża Forest

Close to 90% of Bialowieza National Park isa still "old growth virgin forest". These are out-of-bounds to casual tourists. Scientists come here to do research on the mixed broadleaved and conifer trees. Over 900 vascular plant species have been recorded in the forest. This includes 26 trees and 138 shrubs.

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 52 30 0 E 23 34 60
Inscription Year: 1979
Type of Site: Natural
Inscription Criteria: VII

Visiting Białowieża Forest

Your base for visiting this World Heritage Site is Warsaw. You can get your hotel there to help you make the arrangement, or select the appropriate tour package. The town of Białowieża is at the edge of the forest.

Getting there

You can take a train to Białowieża from Warsaw passing through Bialystok. To enter the forest, you need to register with the forest department - it may be just as well as you go throughy a tour operator.

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