The Slovincian National Park (), also known as Słowiński National Park, is a national park in

Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship ( ; ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. The voivodeship was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former voivodeships of Gdańsk Voivo ...

, northern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. It is situated on the Baltic coast, between Łeba and Rowy. The northern boundary of the park consists of of coastline.

History

The original idea of creating a preserve here was floated in 1946, at a conference in Łeba with scientists from

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

and Gdańsk. The park, however, was created 21 years later, in 1967, on an area of . Today it is slightly larger, covering , of which consists of waters and of forests. The strictly preserved zone covers . In 1977

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

designated the park a biosphere reserve under its Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MaB). The Slovincian wetlands were designated a Ramsar site in 1995. The park is named after the West Slavic (later Germanized) people known as the Slovincians (), who used to live in this swampy, inaccessible area at the edge of Lake Leba. In the village of Kluki, there is an open-air museum presenting aspects of this people's former life and culture.

Geography

In the past, the park's area was a Baltic Sea bay. The sea's activity, however, created sand dunes which in the course of time separated the bay from the Baltic Sea. As waves and wind carry sand inland the dunes slowly move, at a speed of 3 to 10 metres per year. Some dunes are quite high - up to 30 metres. The highest peak of the park – Rowokol ( above sea level) – is also an excellent observation point. The "moving dunes" are regarded as a curiosity of nature on a European scale. Waters, which occupy 55% of park's area, are made up of lakes - Łebsko (, maximum depth ), Gardno (, maximum depth ) and Dolgie Wielkie (, maximum depth ). Both Lebsko and Gardno lakes were previously bays. There are also seven rivers crossing the park, the largest being the Łeba and the Łupawa. Forests in the park are mainly made of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

s. These trees cover 80% of wooded areas; there are also

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

bogs of several types. Of animals, the most numerous are birds with 257 species. This is because the park is located on the paths of migrating birds. They feel safe here because human activities are limited. The most interesting species are: erne, eagle owl, crow, swan and various kinds of ducks. Among the

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s, there are deer, wild pigs and hares.

Tourist amenities

There are around of tourist walking trails. Beside the lakes are observation towers and along the trails one can find benches and resting places. Around the park there are many parking sites as well as hotels and camp sites, especially in Łeba.

Images

File:Logo Słowińskiego Parku Narodowego.svg, Logo File:2_SPN_01.jpg, Moving dunes File:Signpost in Słowiński National Park.JPG, Signpost File:Dune in Słowiński National Park 01.JPG, Dune File:Dune in Słowiński National Park 02.JPG, Dune File:Dune in Słowiński National Park 03.JPG, Dune File:Dune in Słowiński National Park 04.JPG, Dune File:Dead trees in Słowiński National Park 01.JPG, Dead trees File:Dead trees in Słowiński National Park 02.JPG, Dead trees File:Dead trees in Słowiński National Park 03.JPG, Dead trees File:Dead trees in Słowiński National Park 04.JPG, Dead trees File:Dead trees in Słowiński National Park 05.JPG, Dead trees File:Dead trees in Słowiński National Park 06.JPG, Dead trees File:Beach in Słowiński National Park, looking east.JPG, Beach, looking east File:Beach in Słowiński National Park, looking west.JPG, Beach, looking west

References

External links