Bory Tucholskie National Park ( pl, Park Narodowy "Bory Tucholskie") is a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, created on July 1, 1996. It covers an area of of forests, lakes, meadows and

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

lands. The park is in the northern part of

, in

Chojnice County __NOTOC__ Chojnice County ( csb, Chòniczzi kréz, pl, powiat chojnicki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the P ...

Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomorskie Region, or Pomerania Province (Polish: ''Województwo pomorskie'' ; ( Kashubian: ''Pòmòrsczé wòjewództwò'' ), is a voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. The ...

, in the heart of the

Tuchola Forest The Tuchola Forest, also known as Tuchola Pinewoods or Tuchola Conifer Woods, (the latter a literal translation of pl, Bory Tucholskie; csb, Tëchòlsczé Bòrë; german: Tuchler or Tucheler Heide) is a large forest complex near the town of Tuch ...

, the largest woodland in Poland. It is surrounded by a larger

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

called

Zaborski Landscape Park Zaborski Landscape Park (''Zaborski Park Krajobrazowy'') is a protected area ( Landscape Park) in northern Poland, established in 1990, covering an area of north of the town of Chojnice. It surrounds Tuchola Forest National Park. The Park lies ...

. The park forms the core of the Tuchola Forest

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

, designated by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 2010.

Area

The first proposal stipulated that the national park would cover 130 square kilometres, but after discussions with local authorities it was decided that the borders would cover only the area of the so-called Seven Lakes Stream (Struga Siedmiu Jezior). The land incorporated into the national park belonged to the state (not to private individuals). Forests, meadows, and peatlands had been part of Forest Preserve Rytel and the lakes had been administered by the State Agency of Agricultural Land.

Features

The area of the Tuchola Forest was shaped by the Scandinavian Glacier; for the most part, it is covered by sandy plains. These plains are diversified by dunes and lakes. The lakes are long and narrow, creating channels, of which the longest is 17 km. The soil in the park is of poor quality. There are more than 20 lakes in the park, some of them are pristine, of crystal-clear waters (e.g., Gacno Wielkie and Male, Nierybno, Gluche). Around 25 species of fish can be found here as well as European

beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

s. The national park is a heaven for birds — there are 144 species, including crane and eagle owl. The symbol of the park — the wood grouse — until recently was common in the area, especially in the Forest District of Klosnowo. Now, authorities of the national park, plan to reintroduce this bird. A particularly important part of fauna are bats: several species thrive in the park.

Tourism

Most important tourist centers of Tuchola Forest are by the Charzykowskie and Karsinskie lakes. In recent years agro-tourism has become popular, e.g., in the village of Swornegacie. The Brda river is a

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

trail. Charzykowy is famous as the birthplace of Polish inland yachting. Lake Charzykowy offers good yachting conditions in summer and winter. There are bicycle trails that let tourists get acquainted with Tuchola Forest's attractions. Moreover, the Tuchola Forest is crossed by walking trails — among them the Kaszubski Trail from

Chojnice Chojnice (; , or ''Chòjnice''; german: Konitz or ''Conitz'') is a town in northern Poland with 39,423 inhabitants as of December 2021, near the Tuchola Forest. It is the capital of the Chojnice County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. History Pias ...

to Wiela.

References

Website of the Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve
(in Polish)

Bibliography

*Begni, Gerard (2002). ''Observing Our Environment From Space''. Lisse: Swets and Zeitlinger. *(1997). "Environmental Protection Improves, Says Zelichowski." ''Poland News Bulletin''. January 13. {{authority control National parks of Poland Protected areas established in 1996 Parks in Pomeranian Voivodeship 1996 establishments in Poland