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Varmia and Masuria is a home to 8 landscape parks of total area 145,425,4ha, and their protection zones of total area of 84,550,5 ha.
The Brodnicki Landscape Park was founded in 1985. Its area covers 10,462ha, where 4,336ha of the whole area is situated in the voivodship of Varmia and Masuria, and the rest in the voivodship of Kuyavy and Pomerania. The park encompasses the most precious part of the lake district called Pojezierze Brodnickie, with its forest, flora and peat bog reserves. The local vegetation is dominated by forests, esp. pine and mixed forests. Among 950 vascular plant species the most precious rarities include: the twinflower and the small cranberry. The most remarkable bird species of the park are sea eagles, lesser spotted eagles, cranes, black storks and kingfishers.
Contact: Grzmięca, 87-312 Pokrzydowo
tel/fax +48 56 493 90 98
www.brodnica.net
The Górzniańsko-Lidzbarski Landscape Park of total area 11,966ha (8,632,7ha in the voivodship of Varmia and Masuria), has a diverse lay of the land and is situated on the on the borderline of three regions Pomerania, Mazovia and Masuria. The park encompasses 6 nature reserves, 2 of which, Jar Brynicy and Klonowo, are located within the borders of the voivodship of Varmia and Masuria. Among vascular plants the most remarkable are the relic species, such as the mountain arnica, the wood stitchwort, the dwarf marsh violet, the marsh saxifrage, the twinflower, the creeping sedge and the sawgrass. The park is also a home to 250 species of vertebrates, 200 of which are under protection.
Contact: Górzno, ul. Leśna 12
tel. +48 56 498 81 90
The Mazurski Landscape Park has an area of 53,655ha, where 51% is covered by forests and 30% by surface waters. The most significant body of water in his region is Poland’s biggest lake -Śniardwy (11,000ha). Due to impressive views the lake Łuknajno is encompassed with a few forms of protection – it is considered as a nature reserve, a biosphere reserve, an area listed in the Ramsar convention, and an area of special birds protection within the framework of the programme Nature 2000. The Krutynia river is popular with canoeists as one of the most picturesque river routes. The flora of the park includes nearly 900 species of vascular plants with rarities, such as the pasque flower, the small pasque flower, the martagon lily, the red helleborine, the twinflower, the Greek valerian, the round-leaf sundew, the creeping sedge, the marsh tea, the white beaksedge, four kinds of the cottongrass – the tussock, slender, broad-leafed and narrow-leafed cottongrass, and finally extremely rare orchids – the common twayblade and the bog twayblade. Water plant species include: the white sea rose, the small sea rose, the yellow water lily and the common bladdewort. The most common mammals in the park are deer, moose, wolves, bobcats, otters and beavers. What is worth mentioning at this point are two herds of Polish Little horses which live in the wild in the forest under the guidance of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Popielno. The most remarkable representatives of avifauna are: the sea eagle, the lesser spotted eagle, the osprey, the boreal owl, the eagle owl, the bittern, the little bittern, the black stork, the red-crested pochard, the spotted crake, the kingfisher, the hazel grouse, the black grouse, and many others. The area of the park has been incorporated in the special birds protection zone referred to as ‘Nature 2000 – Puszcza Piska’. In the park there are also numerous nature reserves and nature monuments, such as the collection of oaks near the historic cone shelling factory in Ruciane, the nearby (1,5 km farther) pine known as “The Lira Pine”, as well as “The Royal Pine” and “The Oak upon Mukre” near the village of Zgon and “The Couple in Love” near Krutyń. What is worth mentioning in this region are the historic sites related to the Philippones near the village of Zgon, the renowned Polish poet K.I. Gałczyński Museum in Pranie and the popular writerE. Wiechert Memorial Room in the forester’s lodge in Piersławek.
Contact: Piecki, tel. + 48 89 742 14 58, tel./fax + 48 89 742 14 05
www.mazurskipark.pl
The Landscape Park of Puszcza Romincka has an area of 14,620ha, which in covered by forests in 64%, and by waters in 6%. It has been created in order to preserve the unusual wildlife specimens, unique landscape and cultural values of the forest Puszcza Romincka. The forest, in fact, has always been under protection – in the past it was a hunting site of monarchs. The hunting successes of the Prussian emperor Wilhelm II were marked by several boulders with relevant commemorative inscriptions. The most remarkable vegetation complex in the park is the boreal spruce forest, resembling taiga. Puszcza Romincka prides itself on numerous peat bogs, among them the typical high peat bogs, and rare ‘hanging’ peat bogs. The rich fauna has many splendid representatives, such as the mud sedge, the white beaksedge, the small cranberry, the crowberry, the common twayblade, the cloudberry, the small birch, the creeping sedge, the Greek Valerian and the ostrich fern. Among 128 bird species the most interesting are: the grey-headed woodpecker, the white-backed woodpecker, the lesser-spotted eagle, the osprey, the honey buzzard, the crane and the black stork. The biggest mammals include deer, moose, roe deer, boars, wolves, bobcats, otters and beavers. One of the greatest attractions here is the wonder of the early 19th century technics - railway bridges made of reinforced concrete. The most renowned bridge was built over the Błędzianka river, near the village of Stańczyki.
Contact: fax +48 87 615 97 27
The Landscape Park of Wysoczyzna Elbląska (the Elbląg Upland) has an area of 13,460 ha, 45% of which is covered by forests, and 1% by water. The park is situated in a mezoregion of the hills called Wzniesienia Elbląskie, which make a moraine upland rising to the altitude of 197m above the sea level. Numerous brooks flow from the hills, furrowing picturesque deep ravines and gorges, grown with beech trees. What is characteristic of the park’s flora is the abundance of mountain species, such as the speckled alder, the Manchurian monkshood, the bear’s garlic, the cardamine bulbifer, the horsetail, the ostrich fern, the white butterbur, the deer fern and the fir clubmoss. The park’s big mammals include deer, roe deer, boars and, occasionally, moose. The species that is worth mentioning is the sika deer – the descendant of animals which were brought here in 1910 specially for the emperor Wilhelm II as a gift from the emperor of Japan. What makes a special tourist attraction in the region are remains of old Prussian strongholds, Dutch farmsteads, old churches, Elbląg merchants’ mansions, estate manors with the most famous Kadyny complex, which is completely subject to conservatory protection. Kadyny, which belonged to the leader of the Prussian Confederation, Jan Bażyński, take pride in the local oak – the oldest and the largest Polish oak tree called “The Jan Bażyński Oak” (700 years old, circumference 9,89m)
Contact: Elbląg, ul. Bohaterów Westerplatte 18
tel. +48 55 611 45 90
www.pkwe.pl
The Landscape Park of Pojezierze Iławskie (the Iława Lake District) has an area of 22,639ha (where 59% of the total is covered by forests and 20% by water). It is situated in the central part of the lake district. The landscape is dominated by lakes; the lake Jeziorak the longest one (27,5km) and the sixth biggest in Poland. Rich flora is the pride of the park; among rarities we can spot here the paradise plant, the common ivy, the twinflower, several species of clubmosses, such as the fir clubmoss, the running clubmoss, the stiff clubmoss, the northern running-pine and the marsh clubmoss, the Columbine genus, the martagon, several species of orchids, such as the early marsh orchid, the broad-leafed orchid, the heath spotted orchid, the lesser butterfly orchid, the greater butterly. The most remarkable representatives of water flora are the red alga, the spiny-spored quillwort, the yellow water lily and the white water lily. It has been estimated that the park is a home to 150 protected animal species (8 species of insect, 5 of amphibians, 108 of birds, 5 of mammals), among which bobcats and wolves are the most splendid. The abundance of local birds is also impressive – the sea eagle, the lesser spotted eagle, the osprey, the crane, the black stork, the goldeneye, the stock dove, the bittern and many others. The area of the park has been considered a special birds protection zone referred to as Nature 2000 – Lasy Iławskie.
Contact: Jerzwałd tel./fax + 48 89 758 85 27
www.parkiwim.samorzady.pl
The Landscape Park of Wzgórza Dylewskie (the Dylewskie Hills) has an area of 7,782,3ha (where 45% of the total is covered by forests and 0,2% by water). It has been created in order to preserve the unique landscape, extremely rich flora and fauna, as well as significant historic and cultural attributes of the region. Wzgórza Dylewskie is the highest, western part of the region called Garb Lubawski, with its highest peak Dylewska Góra (312m above the sea level). The types of forests which are dominant in the region are the beech forest and the wet ground forest. Over 800 flowering species and 100 bryophytes have been observed within the park area. The local flora is dominated by plants of central European and boreal origin. There are many mountain species here, such as the fir clubmoss, the hard shield fern, the common yew, the sycamore, the ostrich fern, the mountain arnica and the mountain speedwell. The most interesting species of boreal origin are the spruce, the willow, the Siberian iris, the black currant and the wavy hairgrass. Among animal species mouflons are worth mentioning, as they were introduced here by human and have successfully acclimatised in the region. Within the landscape park we can distinguish 16 estate parks, 20 historic cemeteries and 5 archaeological sites (mainly strongholds and tumuli). What draws tourists’ attention are single boulders or collections of them scattered all over the park; some of them have been considered as nature monuments.
Contact: Jerzwałd tel./fax + 48 89 758 85 27
www.parkiwim.samorzady.pl
The Welski Landscape Park has an area of 20,300,4ha (where 33% is covered by forests and 6% by water). The main feature of the lay of the land are moraine uplands, sandur plains, hills, moraine and kame hills and subglacial trough. The major river of the region is the meandering Wel, which links several lakes - Rumian, Zarybinek, Tarczyńskie, Grądy, Zakrocze and Lidzbarskie. This is what makes the river an attractive canoeing route. 19 out of 660 plant species of the park are under complete protection, for instance: the running clubmoss, the stiff clubmoss, the northern running-pine clubmoss, the Arctic dwarf birch, the bugbane, the yellow water lily, the common ivy, the paradise plant, the prince’s pine, the Greek valerian, the martagon, several kinds of orchids, such as the early marsh orchid, the broad-leafed orchid, the heath spotted orchid, the round-leafed sundew, the mountain arnica, the marsh helleborine. The postglacial relics include the dwarf marsh violet, the yellow marsh saxifrage, and the creeping sedge. 297 species of vertebrates have been observed in the landscape park, among them 39 mammal species, 209 bird species, 5 reptile species, 13 amphibian species and 31 fish species. There are 16 mammal species under protection, for instance beavers, otters and as many as 7 species of bats. 183 protected bird species include the sea eagle, the osprey, the lesser-spotted eagle, the black stork, the kingfisher and the red kite.
Contact: Jeleń 84, Lidzbark Welski
tel./fax +48 23 698 10 36
www.parkiwim.samorzady.pl
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