Białowieża National Park
| Białowieża National Park | |
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| Polish: Białowieski Park Narodowy | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Fallen tree in the Białowieża Forest
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| Location | Podlaskie Voivodeship in Poland |
| Nearest city | Hajnówka |
| Coordinates | 52°45′7.66″N 23°52′44.86″E / 52.7521278°N 23.8791278°ECoordinates: 52°45′7.66″N 23°52′44.86″E / 52.7521278°N 23.8791278°E |
| Area | 152.2 km2 (58.8 sq mi) |
| Established | 11 August 1932 |
| Visitors | 140000 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | Ministry of the Environment |
| http://www.bpn.com.pl/ | |
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Białowieża Forest |
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| Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List | |
European bison in the natural habitat
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| Location | Belarus and Poland |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | vii |
| Reference | 33 |
| UNESCO region | Europe and North America |
| Coordinates | 52°40′01″N 23°48′00″E / 52.667°N 23.8°E |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1979 (3rd Session) |
| Extensions | 1992 |
 Location in Poland
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Białowieża National Park (Polish: Białowieski Park Narodowy) is a National Park in Podlaskie Voivodeship, in Eastern Poland adjacent with the border with Belarus. The total area of the park is 152.2 square kilometres (58.8 sq mi). It is located 62 km (39 mi) southeast of Białystok (Poland). It is known for the protection of the best preserved part of the Białowieża Forest, Europe's last temperate primaeval forest fragment that once stretched across the European Plain. It is home to the world's largest population of European bison (Polish: żubr), the continent's heaviest land animals. The border between the two countries runs through the forest, the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park is adjacent on the Belarus side of the border. There is a border crossing for hikers and cyclists within the forest.
The park's formal beginning was the Forest Reserve inspectorate (Polish: Rezerwat) established in 1921. The inspectorate was transformed into the National Park in Białowieża on 11 August 1932 by the Second Polish Republic. After World War II, the forest was divided between the People's Republic of Poland and the Belarusian SSR of the Soviet Union. The People's Republic of Poland reopened the Białowieża National Park in 1947.
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Wikipedia