Podlasie's pristine beauty
The Podlasie region, which encompasses Poland's northeastern frontier, boasts its own distinct ecological, cultural and historical heritage. The area, corresponding roughly to the Podlaskie voivodship, is one of the country's major attractions for domestic tourists and sees a steady stream of foreign visitors as well.
Devoid of large industry, the region has managed to preserve much of its unspoiled natural beauty. Today Podlasie, also known as Poland's "green lungs," is touting its national parks as an inestimable asset in its tourist offer.
Natural treasures
Four national parks, accounting for as much as 30.1 percent of Poland's total national park area, lie within the Podlasie region's periphery. All of these constitute unique natural preserves whose rare flora and fauna attract thousands of tourists from all over Europe.
The Białowieża National Park, the oldest in Poland, is registered on UNESCO's World Heritage List and includes Europe's last scrap of natural primeval forest. The park is also the refuge of the world's largest surviving herd of European bison, the continent's largest land mammal, which has become one of the region's best-recognized symbols.
Podlasie is equally well-known for its aquatic ecosystems. The Biebrza National Park, Poland's largest, is renowned in Europe for its marshes and peatlands as well as for its huge variety of bird species. The park is under the protection of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
The Wigry National Park, which includes over 40 lakes within its area, offers a total of 190 km of tourist routes and permits visitors to practice a number of water sports. The Narew National Park is an intricate wetlands labyrinth centered around the Narew river valley. Its popular nickname, the "Polish Amazon basin," is well deserved.
Promotion everywhere
With so much to boast of, Podlasie is trying to market itself, both domestically and abroad. According to the authorities and organizations responsible for promotion, the region's natural attractions are at the core of promotion activities.
"We are present, in cooperation with travel agencies, at tourist fairs in Poland and also abroad, in cities such as Berlin and Hamburg," said Jadwiga Dšbrowska, director of the Podlasie Regional Tourist Organization. "We are promoting active tourism possibilities, including kayaking in the Augustów area, bird-watching in the Biebrza National Park and cycling," she added.
The region's favorable environmental conditions are also expected to promote Podlasie in the future, via its agricultural produce. Ecological farming, Podlasie's authorities hope, will bring about investments in competitive, high-quality food processing.
Regional authorities are also developing local infrastructure as part of their efforts to promote the region. Podlasie's border crossings, roads and railways will be modernized in order to make the area more accesible. Construction of an international airport in Białystok that would handle flights to European capitals is in the offing, as is the revitalization of the historic Augustów canal.
