NATURE


Fot. Andrzej Sidor

An important element of the landscape of the Augustow Canal Zone are natural values. The dominant element of the canal landscape to the east of the city of Augustow is the Augustow Primeval Forest, which, together with other forests of the Polish-Lithuanian-Belarusian borderland, forms one of the largest dense forest complexes in Europe, the area of ​​which is over 310 thousand hectares.

The forest clearings are occupied by rural enclaves and forest settlements. The natural environment is dominated by forests, lakes, and sometimes also wet meadows and peat bogs.

It is a region with the lowest air and water pollution in this part of Europe. The wealth of forests and green areas encouraged the Polish authorities to establish the Green Lungs of Poland here, the area of ​​which extends far beyond the Augustow Primeval Forest itself. The Augustow Primeval Forest and lakes together with the Rospuda Valley constitute protected landscape areas, they are also included in the Natura 2000 area.

The Polish zone of the canal is covered on both sides by national parks – Wigierski National Park located to the north of the canal and Biebrza National Park to the south.

The Biebrza National Park with its buffer zone covers almost the entire Biebrza valley. It is the largest natural complex of low bogs in Central and Western Europe, with a small share of transitional and raised bogs, with a unique diversity of plant and animal species and natural ecosystems. The southern part of the canal, together with the buffer zone, is within the Biebrza National Park. The Czarna Hancza River connects the Wigry National Park (the main lake of the park – Wigry) with the Augustow Canal. In the immediate vicinity of the Augustow Canal, in the buffer zone, there are seven nature reserves: Perkuc, Stara Ruda, Lake Kalejty, ​​Lake Kolno, Starozyn, Maly Borek and Brzozowy Grad.

In the Belarusian part, the canal zone is also an extremely valuable ecosystem with natural features. This forest area is an extension of the Augustow Primeval Forest to the line of the Neman. Further, between the Neman River and the Kotra River, there is the Grodno Primeval Forest, which covers forty thousand hectares. The above-mentioned natural areas are managed by: the Republican Landscape Reserve “Grodno Forest”, the Republican Landscape Reserve ” Lakes/Oziery”.

The Republican Landscape Reserve “Grodno Forest” was established by combining various protected areas on both banks of the Neman River. The total area of ​​the reserve is over 20 thousand. ha. The reserve is an integral part of several major cross-border ecological forests and water corridors in the extreme north-western part of the Grodno Oblast and the adjacent territories of the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Lithuania. It is located at the crossroads of animal and plant migration routes. This conservation area is an important link in the creation of gene pool migration routes and fits well with the national and international environmental network. The forest covers over 90% of the reserve’s territory.

The Republican Landscape Reserve “Lakes/Oziery” was established in order to preserve in its natural state valuable ecological systems of forests and lakes as well as unique natural and landscape complexes with the participation of wild plants and wild animals belonging to the species listed in the Red Book of Belarus. The area of ​​the reserve is about 24 thousand. ha. There is a unique system of glacial forest lakes in the reserve: Beloje (Белое), Zackawa (Зацково), Ant (Антозеро), Bersztynskoye (Берштовское), Dolgoye (Долгое). Among them is the largest lake in the Grodno Region – Beloje Lake, with an area of ​​5.3 km2. The lake beds form a chain within the limits of the ancient tectonic fault of the earth’s crust and are a natural monument of the Ice Age.

Scots pine is currently the main forest-forming species of the Augustow Primeval Forest, it covers over 75% of the forest area. Norway spruce prevails in forests in the area of ​​nearly 8%, and stands with dominant black alder and birch cover 7.4% and 6.3% of the Augustow Primeval Forest, respectively. A very valuable tourist feature of the Augustow Primeval Forest is the fact that pine forests are light forests. The sun reaches, through the feathery crowns of towering pines, to the undergrowth in the forest. Such a beautiful forest is an amazing place for forest walks and bicycle rallies in summer, as well as for cross-country skiing in winter.

Over two thousand species of animals have been found in the Augustow Primeval Forest. The world of insects is the most numerous and abundant in species. The world of vertebrates is also rich. About 30 species of fish, 12 species of amphibians, 5 species of reptiles, about 230 species of birds and over 40 species of mammals have been found here. Due to the enormous importance for the birds nesting here, the Augustow Primeval Forest was recognized as a bird refuge of European rank on the basis of the European Union Birds Directive.

Among the mammals, the European beaver is the most characteristic; The otter is also numerous. A dozen or so lynx live in the entire area of ​​the borderland forests. The wolf population in this area amounts to several dozen individuals. There are good conditions here for deer, including roe deer and red deer. Elk are numerous in the Biebrza marshes and in the forest itself. A dozen or so bison live in its southern part.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS


JANUARY

MUSICAL FINAL OF THE GREAT ORCHESTRA OF CHRISTMAS HELP

FEBRUARY

DKF KINOCHŁON (FILM CLUB)

MARCH

MARCH ALONG THE BYSTRY CANAL – AUGUST’OW MARCH FOR THE SENIORS

DKF KINOCHŁON (FILM CLUB)

APRIL

EASTER CAKES – HANDCRAFTS FAIR

OPENING OF THE SAILING SEASON WITH A PARADE OF BOATS

EASTER EGG FESTIVAL

MAY

AUGUSTÓW CANAL INVITES FRIENDS

AUGUSTOW DAYS

ALONG THE AUGUSTOW CANAL

JUNE

“AUGUSTOW FRESH” FESTIVAL

MIDSUMMER (ST. JOHN’S) NIGHT ON THE NETTA RIVER

“SILVER HOZA KEYS” FESTIVAL

JULY

KUPALA FESTIVAL

AUGUSTYNKI

„LOTTO NETTA CUP”

„NECKO ENDURANCE”

„WHAT FLOATS, WON’T SINK”

AUGUST

“STRAW FESTIVAL”

WHAT FLOATS, WON’T SINK”

FEAST OF THE SEA

FEAST OF ZIELNA

THE AUGUSTOW CANAL IN THE CULTURE OF THREE NATIONS

AGRO ECO TOURIST FAIR – POLAND TASTES

„SINGING AND ENTERTAINMENT AUGUSTOW CANAL

SEPTEMBER

CAMERATA AUGUSTOVIANA

THE FEAST OF BREAD

PAŹDZIERNIK

DKF KINOCHŁON (FILM CLUB)

LISTOPAD

DKF KINOCHŁON (FILM CLUB)

GRUDZIEŃ

DKF KINOCHŁON (FILM CLUB)