Poland Guide
Mazuria and Podlasie
Ask Poles to list the natural wonders of their country and they will automatically answer "lakes and forests" – things that the northeastern territories of Mazuria and Podlasie offer in rich abundance. These predominantly agricultural and largely unspoilt areas offer everything necessary for a country-based holiday, with walking trails, canoeing routes, wildlife reserves and characterful B&Bs enticing an increasing number of tourists.
The so-called "land of a thousand lakes", Mazuria (Mazury) was formed by the last Ice Age, when retreating glaciers carved out the hollows now filled with water. A sparsely populated area of thick forests and innumerable lakes and rivers, Mazuria is one of the country's main holiday districts – and rightfully so. It's a wonderful haunt for walkers, campers, watersports enthusiasts or just for those who want to take it easy. The western fringes of Mazuria rub up against Warmia, a rich agricultural plain dotted with historic towns. The main entry point to the region is Olsztyn, a pleasant small-scale city which is worth a short stay in itself. From here bus and train links fan out towards the main lakeside resorts, with Mikołajki offering most in terms of active opportunities and natural beauty.
East of Mazuria, Podlasie literally means "Under the Trees" – a name that only hints at the landscape of wide, open plains, and tracts of primeval forest. The northern corner of Podlasie, named Suwalszczyzna, offers an extraordinary wealth of rolling farmland, dense woods and reed-fringed lakes, providing the perfect opportunity to explore a uniquely unspoiled and relatively little-visited corner of Europe. The large tracts of forest for which Podlasie is famous lie further south, most importantly around Białowieża. It's in the Białowieża National Park that you can explore continental Europe's last belt of virgin forest – the haunt of bison, elk and hundreds of varieties of flora and fauna, and home, too, of the wondrous Źubrówka "bison grass" vodka.
Białystok is the one large city in this part of Poland, and is the main hub for public transport to Podlasie's far-flung rural communities.
Highlights
1 The Wolf's Lair Grimly compelling site of Hitler's secret command bunker, once the nerve centre of German military power.
2 Mikołajki Poland's prime venue for yachting, kayaking and generally messing about in boats, situated in the heart of the Mazurian lake district.
3 Suwałki Landscape Park Bewitching area of gently rolling farmland and forest, sprinkled with deep lakes and the odd rustic village.
4 Supraśl Traditional, timber-built village beside the Belarusian border, boasting a sumptuous museum collection of Orthodox icons.
5 Tykocin Riverside town of cobbled alleys and one-storey houses, site of one of the most beautifully preserved synagogues in the country.
6 Biebrża National Park Captivating lowland landscape of reeds and marshes, criss-crossed by accessible walking trails.
7 Białowieża National Park Europe's largest surviving area of primeval forest, famous for its large population of bison.