Biebrza National Park
National Parks, nature parks, nature reserves, Natura 2000 areas
This biggest national park in Poland protects a unique ecosystem of wetlands and mires stretching out along the meandering Biebrza River. Protected against draining and excessive use, this land of marshes and wetlands is an important refuge for water and marsh birds and for swamp plants.
Birds can be watched from over 20 towers and platforms situated in the most interesting areas of the park, such as Burzyna, Brzostowo, Wierciszew, Osowiec or Grzędy. In spring, when the Biebrza overflows its banks, you can watch flocks of a few thousand ducks, geese, cranes or ruffs, where each bird has different feathers. The ruff is the signature bird of the park – one of the 270 species living here. A perfect place to admire the Biebrza nature is the Tsar Route – a road running along the Biebrza Valley, built at the turn of the 20th century to connect three fortresses in Osowiec, Łomża and Grodno. From there you can observe animals living in the park, and strolling elks are quite a frequent sight here. Near the Tsar Route, the Długa Luka path begins, which leads along a wooden footbridge suspended over the surface of Biebrza marshes. Along thepath, there is a watchtower, near which the biggest event of the Park – the Biebrza Haymaking – is held every year.
The mysteries of the Biebrza National Park can be discovered in various ways. One of the proposed methods of gaining knowledge about it is to travel a network of educational paths, such as “A forest within reach of your hand”, “Barwik”, “Biały Grąd”, “Around Fort no. 4 of the Osowiec Fortress” and many others. The educational offer is supplemented by displays of the Biebrza flora and fauna, photo exhibitions and educational classes conducted in the seat of the park – the Education and Management Centre of the Biebrza National Park in Osowiec. It is good to discover Biebrza marshes from various perspectives: on horseback, by bicycle, by kayak or on foot. It is easy to get pulled in by any marsh, but these ones are particularly attractive and you can easily lose your head over them.
