Biebrza National Park

     lasy - forests; tereny bagienne - marshes; rzeki, jeziora - rivers and
     lakes; drogi - roads; kolej - railway; rezerwaty - reserves; granica
     strefy ochronnej - buffer zone

  
One of the valuable features in the Biebrza valley is the well-preserved zonality of its habitats and plant communities, which are characteristic for major natural river valleys. When you add the highly natural features of the landscape, then the Biebrza National Park ranks as the best in terms of plant wildlife. No less than 70 distinct plant associations occur here and the vascular plant flora alone features more than 950 species. 
When describing the Biebrza National Park one has often to use superlatives. It protects the largest peatlands in Poland, situated along the Biebrza river. The area is the largest marshland in Central Europe. 

The BNP is also the largest national park in Poland; the distance between its limits is almost 100 km. The BNP covers mainly wetlands which makes it one of the wildest and most mysterious corners of Poland. Finally, the Park is the largest Polish refuge for bird species; some 270 recorded species, with approximately 180 nesting upon Biebrza. There are some "gems" for birdwatchers' notebooks, such as aquatic warbler, white-winged black tern, spotted eagle, Montagu's harrier, hen harrier, great snipe, ruff and curlew. The Biebrza river valley abounds also in other animal wildlife. For example, no less than 48 mammalian species live there, including the European elk (moose) which had survived almost complete extinction only in the „Czerwone Bagno” marshes but which has now reappeared throughout Poland. Biebrza is a typical lowland river with a meandering course and slowly moving waters. 

The BNP and its buffer zone have more than 600 km of marked tourist paths: for backpackers and bikers, as well as routes for kayakers. Particularly noteworthy among the biking trails is "the Podlasie stork trail". The kayak route on Biebrza's waters runs for 140 km, from Lipsk to Wizna upon the Narew and takes approximately 7 days. 

The management of the Biebrza National Park is now located in the new building of the Pałczyński Centre of Education and Management in Osowiec-Twierdza (on the Białystok – Grajewo road, 54 km from Białystok, which is 1 hr by train to Osowiec station). 

A view of the Ławki bogs from the observation tower.
Photo by Jarosław Borejszo