podlaskie

LOCATION

The podlaskie province is located in the north – eastern part of Poland. It covers the territory of 20 180 km². It is divided into 14 districts, 3 cities having district rights and 118 communes; 36 cities. The city of Białystok is the administrative center. The biggest city agglomeration is the city of Białystok which definitely dominates the remaining towns, then the cities of Łomża and Suwałki. The features of the region are the greatest in the country diversification of ethnic structures and a high percentage of ethnic minorities that cultivate their traditions.

NATURE AND TOURISM

The values of the province are: the clean environment, numerous lakes, natural forest complexes and the opportunity for a rest far away from crowded fashionable health resorts. The tourist traffic mainly concentrates in the northern part of this region, in the area of lakelands. Many picturesque lakes having a diversified coastline, connected by rivers have perfect conditions for doing water tourism. The most important center is the town of Augustow (the only health resort in the district situated on the border of the Augustowska Wood), then the towns of Wigry, Rajgród and Sejny. A tourist attraction on a European scale is the Białowieska Wood – the biggest in Poland complex of prime forest mixed with numerous specimens of old trees and many species of animals (among others bisons, tarpans and lynxes). In the most precious part of the wood which has been the terrain of royal hunting since the Middle Ages, there was created the Białowieski National Park. The boggy terrains of the valleys of Biebrza and Narwia have stayed untouched by a man –these are areas for specialist water tourism (overflowing areas and the system of river channels, numerous types of birds). The town of Supraśl constitutes the starting base for the Knyszyński Landscape Park. The peculiarities of the region are the ethnic minorities – Belorussian, Lithuanian and Tatar – which create a cultural mosaic. In the town of Grabarka there is situated a pilgrim sanctuary that has the same meaning for the Orthodox church believers as the city of Częstochowa has for catholics.

Accommodations: 258

Other attractions: 196

Events in the area: 17