Poland is a country in Central Europe with a land area of 312,696 square kilometers (77 million acres) occupied by 38.5 million people. It is the sixth most populous country in the European Union.
Poland is known for being the subject country that started the Second World War. On Sept. 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, this prompted France and the United Kingdom to declare war against Germany. The rest of the world took sides and the rest, as they say, is history. But there is so much more to Poland’s history than just the taint of World War II. The country is known to have hosted significant ethnic groups starting at around 400 BC. These are the Baltic, Celtic, Germanic, Sarmatian, Scythian and Slavic tribes.
The nation is also gaining pop culture acclaim as the world prepares for the release of the show “The Witcher,” based on the series of novels and short stories from Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The series has a cult following in Europe and is about to gain mainstream popularity with Netflix’s saga.
Most tourist destinations in Poland are centered around its biggest cities: the capital city of Warsaw and Krakow, which is the most popular tourist destination. When in Poland, people must try local food. Polish food has not gained an international following as much as the popular cuisines from Italy and France, but its cuisine is good. Its most popular food is the pierogi but there are other culinary gems from this country such as the bigos, kielbasa (sausage), zurek, among others.
Polish food is best paired with Poland's famous alcohol: the Bison grass vodka. The beer is pretty great, too, after all the country is the third-biggest producer of beer in Europe.
When in Poland, tourists should also drop by a few of its 23 national parks to experience nature, which is also the nation's way of educating the society about ecology. Here are the top 10 unexplored national parks in Poland:
Babia Gora National Park
This park is located in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship and borders Slovakia. It has a total land area of 33.92 square kilometers (8,382 acres), the majority of which are forests. The park is named after the mountain Babia Gora—the southern part of which is part of the park. Babia Gora translates to Old Wives' or Witches' Mountain and is the highest peak in the park at 1,725 meters. This landform is characterized as a massif on the border between Poland and Slovakia.
The area has been under government protection since 1933 when it was designated as a reserve. In 1954, the area officially became a park. UNESCO then listed the park as a biosphere reserve in1976.
What can tourists expect in the park? As a forest, there are a lot of trees and plants, as well as grasses and shrubs. Providing color and additional beauty is the peppering of the wildflower campanula flowers. With a vibrant forest, comes an abundant population of birds. There are over 100 species of birds in the park, the most common of which are eagle owls and woodpeckers. Among the resident mammals are bears, deer, lynxes, and wolves. Some beetles found here are unique to the park.
Biebrza National Park
At 592 square kilometers (146,286 acres), this is Poland's largest national park. It comprises forests, fields, meadows, and marshes. The park was essentially established in 1993 to protect the Biebrza Marshes, a wetland complex on the eponymous river system. The marshes are important to the aquatic birds that nest in this park. There are over 250 species of birds documented in this particular marsh. One such species is the native Polish avifauna. At least 80% of the Polish avifauna population are residents of the park. This makes the park a popular birding destination.
The marsh is also popular for its mammalian residents like the beavers and elk. The park's wetland has been included in the worldwide list of important wetlands under the Ramsar Convention.
Within the park is another protected area known as the Red Marsh Nature Reserve. The area has a thriving population of birch, drosera rotundifolia, and pedicularis spectrum-carolinum. Among the rare and protected animals that reside in this reserve include the marsh deer, roe deer, ungulate moose, and wolves.
Drawa National Park
Traversing three provinces: Greater Poland, Lubusz and West Pomeranian, this park forms part of the Drawsko Forest on the Drawsko Plain. But the park’s centerpiece is the Driver Drawa, which is surrounded by forests—80% of the park is made up of forests, which are mostly beech and pine trees.
The park is home to a good number of water bodies aside from Drawa: Plociczna River, Czarne Lake, Martew Lake, Ostrowieckie Lake, among others. The main reason for the park’s establishment was the protection of Drawa and Plociczna, as well as the surrounding vegetation. This park attracts two types of tourists: hikers and paddlers. While there are several hiking trails in the park, there are also many kayaking trails that will give paddlers a great sightseeing experience. The recommended kayaking trail is on the meromictic lake Czarne, which kayakers have said provides the most picturesque views of Poland.
The forests in the park have hundreds of species of plants and trees including 210 species of mushroom. There are also oak trees that are over 400 years old. The thriving vegetation, as well as refreshing bodies of water, have become home to 129 species of birds, 40 species of mammals, 13 species of amphibians and seven species of reptiles. Among the common residents are the beavers, deer, Eurasian otters, and wild boars. A few moose and gray wolves can also be seen around the park.
Gorce National Park
The park is named after the Gorce Mountains, which are part of the Western Beskids, a set of mountain ranges covering multiple countries: Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Only the central and northeastern parts of the Gorce Mountains are part of the park.
The landscape shows arched peaks of the mountains with river valleys cutting into the range. The highest peak is the Turbacz at 1,310 meters. Other peaks in the park that are great for hiking are the Czolo Turbacza, Gorc Kamienicki, Jaworzyna Kamienicka, Kiczora, and Kudlon. The park is also home to a number of cave systems.
One of the most famous spots in the park is the Jaworzyna Kamienicka, which is the second-highest peak among the Gorce Mountains. It is also home to the Jaworzyna Kamienicka glade and the historic Bulanda Chapel. The most popular cave in the park, the Zbojnicka Jama, is just near this peak.
Narew National Park
Another birding venue, this park is in the Podlaskie Voivodeship and is named after its main river system. It is described as a swampy valley with moraine hills. Around 90% of the area is wet, which makes it ideal for aquatic birds. There are 179 species of birds documented in the area, some of them are natives.
Beavers are also among the most common residents of the park—around 260 of them have been documented. The park is also home to some elk and otters.
Roztocze National Park
Home to ancient trees and historical activities, this park is in Lublin Voivodeship. It is named after the range of hills traversing Poland and Ukraine. The park used to be part of a family estate, which needed to be protected because of the presence of prey birds. But more than just the presence of animals, the park, as well as adjacent lands, were also the venue for the January Uprising from 1863 to 1864.
The park was established in 1974. It is home to many unique tree formations. There are also hundreds of ancient trees in the park that authorities refer to as nature monuments. It is also home to Poland's tallest fir trees—as high as 50 meters. Tourists may enjoy a walking or biking trail in the park that is also home to some boars, deer, Eurasian badgers, foxes and wolves.
Slowinski National Park
For a unique Polish landscape, tourists should head to this park located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. The park is mostly coastline and forest, but what makes it unique is the presence of moving dunes. There are also wetlands in the area, which made it to the Ramsar Convention list. The park was also designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1977, 10 years after the park’s establishment.
The sand dunes were created because of natural Baltic Sea activities. The dunes reach up to 30 meters in height. To get a great vantage view of the dunes, one may go up the park's highest peak, which is the Rowokol at 115 meters.
The bodies of water in the park are the Gardno and Lebsko lakes, and seven rivers including the largest ones, the Leba and Lupawa. The forests have thriving pine trees while the swamps have peat bogs. There are 257 species of birds in the park, which is also a path among migrating birds. There are also deer, hares and wild pigs that live in the park.
Stolowe Mountains National Park
Providing yet another perspective of Poland is this park—while it is named after the mountain range in the area, among its most famous sites are the rock formations. The formations are named for what they look like: Kwoka (hen), Glowa Wielkoluda (giant’s head) and Wielblad (camel). Several rock labyrinths make rock climbing just a bit more fun.
There is also an observation deck on top of the Szczeliniec Wielki, which will give visitors a great view of the many imposing rock formations in the park, including those known as Rocky Towers and Ape.
Ujscie Warty National Park
This may be Poland's youngest national park, having only been established in 2001, but there is nothing young about the natural offerings it has for the public. The park is characterized by swamps and muddy areas, which means that shorebirds love to nest here. This is also why the park's logo is that of a flying duck as ducks are common residents of the park, which is also included in the Ramsar Convention. The centerpiece of the park is the Warta River—the name translates to the "mouth of the Warta."
There are 245 species of birds documented in the park. Of this, 160 species live in the park. There are seven to eight species of ducks, which are among the most common animal residents. There are also 26 species of bird considered endangered that nest in the Ujscie Warty. Beavers and otters also enjoy the bodies of water and thriving vegetation in the park.
Wolin National Park
Known for it's Turquoise Lake, which as the name suggests, invokes a beautiful turquoise color, this park is on the island of Wolin in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. This is also Poland’s first maritime park as it was established in 1960. The lake is not the only stunning body of water in the park as it is surrounded by the Baltic Sea. There are also eight other lakes and some swamps in the park.
The island is home to some hills that are great for moderate hiking. The highest among these hills is the Grzywacz at 116 meters. The highest cliff is almost as high as the highest hill at 95 meters. There are also biking trails around the park because the landscape is perfect for cycling activities.
The park also happens to be within the migration path of the Baltic Sea, which makes it attractive among birders. There are around 230 species of birds in the park. The swamps are their favorite areas to take shelter. The white-tailed eagle, a rare bird in general, is among the more popular migrating residents of the park. This is why this particular eagle has become the park’s symbol. The Baltic Sea is also home to some rare porpoises and gray seals.
The park is also historically significant as it houses the only Poland-based exposition of the V3 supergun, a weapon from World War II.