Wigry National Park

Wigry National Park
Polish: Wigierski Park Narodowy
IUCN category II (national park)
Wigry Lake at sunset Park logo with Eurasian beaver
Location in Poland
Location	Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland
Nearest city	Suwałki
Coordinates	Coordinates: 54°00′N 23°03′E / 54.000°N 23.050°E / 54.000; 23.050
Area	150.86 km2 (58.25 sq mi)
Established	1989
Governing body	Ministry of the Environment
www.wigry.win.pl

Wigry National Park (Polish: Wigierski Park Narodowy) is a National Park in Podlaskie Voivodeship in north-eastern Poland. It covers parts of the Masurian Lake District and Augustów Primeval Forest (Puszcza Augustowska). It is named after lake Wigry, the largest of the Park's many lakes. It is also classed as a Ramsar wetland site, one of 13 such sites in Poland.

The Park was created on January 1, 1989, on an area of 149.56 km². Today it is slightly larger at 150.86 km² (58.25 sq mi), of which 94.64 km² is forest, 29.08 km² is waters and 27.14 km² other types of land, mostly agricultural. Strictly protected zones account for 6.23 km², including 2.83 km² of woods. The Park has its headquarters in the town of Suwałki.

The Park’s landscape was to a large extent shaped by a glacier which covered this region around 12,000 years ago. The glacier, while slowly receding to the North, formed valleys, many of which are filled with water in the form of lakes. Some of the shallowest lakes have in the course of time become peat-bogs. Northern part of the park is hilly, with elevation reaching 180 meters above sea level. Southern part, on the other hand, is flat and is mainly covered with a forest, which is part of the broader Puszcza Augustowska.

The Park is famous for its numerous lakes, which are of different shape, size and depth. Altogether, there are 42 of them, the biggest, Wigry, covering the area of 21.87 km² with maximum depth of 73 meters, is located in central part of the Park. Main river is the Czarna Hańcza, which crosses the Wigry lake. This river is an appreciated and popular kayaking trail.