Белавежская пушча - Belovezhskaya Pushcha

The Belovezhskaya Pushcha (Białowieża Forest), is an ancient woodland straddling the border between the two countries, located 70 km north of Brest - Belarus and 62 km south-east of Białystok - Poland. It is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immenseprimeval forest which once spread across the European Plain.

Bialowieski Forest - the jewel of both European and world-wide lowland forests: wild, primeval, with a unique rhythm of phenomenal nature, captivating and enthralling, one of a kind, the only one preserved in such an extraordinary form.

The Białowieska or Białowięza Forest on the Polish side (as opposed to the Belovezhskaya Forest on the Belarussian) is located between longitudes 23°31' and 24°21' E and between 52°29' and 52°57' N. It lies along some kind of boundary zone between Western and Eastern Europe and is not far from the very extensive complex of marshlands of Polesie. The Forest (termed a Primaeval Forest or Puszcza in Polish) extends 55 km from east to west and 51 km from north to south. The Białowieski (Białowieża) National Park in turn occupies the Forest’s central part, its eastern limits being delineated by the Polish-Belarussian state border. The western limits are provided by the route of the old forest railway, and hence the boundary with the forests in the Forest Districts of Białowieża and Browsk. To the north there lies Browsk FD once again, as well as the land in Masiewo village. The southern limits of BNP are in turn set by Polana Białowieska, i.e. the Białowieża Clearing (in which the village of Białowieża is located), as well as the Browsk Road.

In turn, in line with the division into Natural-Forest Regions arrived at by the Forest Research Institute, the area in question is within the Second (Mazury-Podlasie) Natural-Forest Region, and more specifically its Białowieża Forest District.

As noted above, the Forest straddles a state border, with the 870 km2 eastern part located on Belarussian territory. The Western (Polish) part is smaller, at around 632 km2. The part in Belarus (formerly the Byelorussian SSR) originally enjoyed the status of Zapovednik or Reserve, before being transformed in 1957 into a State Hunting and Reserve Holding. It in turn had the status of State National Park conferred upon it in September 1991.

The National Park is situated in the north-east part of Poland, in podlaskie voivodeship. The Park covers the central part of Białowieża Forest.

The Park covers the area of 10 517,27 ha, which constitutes 1/6 of the Polish part of Białowieża Forest. 5725,75 ha is under strict protection, 4438,20 ha is under active protection, and landscape protection covers the area of 353,32 ha. There has been a protection zone created around the Park which covers the state commercial forest having an area of 3224,26 ha.

The park comprises 3 administrative units: Orłówka Protective Unit, Hwoźna Protective Unit and the European Bison Breeding Center (covering three breeding reserves and European Bison Show Reserve). 

Białowieża National Park protects the best preserved fragment of Białowieża Forest – last natural forest at the European Lowland Area, having the primaeval character, identical with the one which covered the area of deciduous and coniferous forests years ago. The characteristic feature of the park is its biological diversity. The Park comprises, inter alia, 809 vascular plants species, over 3 thousand cryptogams and fungi species, almost 200 moss species and 283 lichen species. There have been more than 8 thousand invertebrates species, approximately 120 species of breeding birds and 52 mammal species. Old, primaeval forest stands in Białowieża National Park are characterized by large amounts of  deadwood at the various stage of disintegration, and by the presence of typical natural forest species. Among the birds to be fund in the park one can identify e.g.: Eurasian pygmy-owl, three-toed and white-backed woodpecker; the beetles – black fir sawyer, Osmoderma eremita, Pytho kolwensis; and the butterflies  – Aglia Tau, moorland clouded yellow.  

Apart from Białowieża Forest, many of the aforementioned species can be identified only in few places worldwide.

European bison (from wikipedia)

European bison – the biggest European land mammal – is the symbol of the Park. Białowieża Forest became last mainstay for the lowland European bison. The process of its reinstatement, bringing it back to nature started right there. At present, Białowieża Forest comprises the largest free-living population of European bison in the world. There are approximately 450 European bison living in the Polish part of Białowieża Forest. 

Białowieża National Park is the only Polish natural property designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. The Park is the most important – central zone of Białowieża Forest Biosphere Reserve.