National park "Belovezhskaya pushcha"

Belovezhskaya Pushcha is one of the major sightseeing in Belarus. The reserve is he remaining of the primeval forest that once spread from the Baltic Sea to the river Bug and from the Oder to the Dnepr.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha is straddling the border between Poland and Belarus. It is located 70 km north of Brest (Belarus) and 62 km southeast of Bialystok (Poland). On the Belarusian side, the Biosphere Reserve occupies 1,771 km2. The area of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park in the territory of Poland is about 11 thousand of hectares. The first written mention of Belovezhskaya Pushcha dates back to 983. It was founded as 'Reserve' forestry in 1921 but officially established as a National Park in Białowieża in 1932. In 1947 it was restored as the Belovezhsky National Park. At one time the property of Polish kings, the Belovezhsky Forests have survived in an almost unaltered form. Belarusian part of the forest massif became a nature reserve that was renamed to the state reserve and game husbandry in 1957. In 1991, within the limits of the forest reserve, the first national park in the Republic of Belarus, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, was established.

Today Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park is one of the most famous places in Belarus. The park is famous for its ancient nominal oaks that are considered to be more than 500 years-old. Also the national park plays host to 59 species of mammals, among them the greatest population of European bison.

In 2003 in Belovezhskaya Pushcha the estate of Grandfather Frost very attractive both for children and adults was built. The estate functions all year round.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park was subject to a transboundary Forest Biodiversity Protection Project funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) between 1992 and 1996. The project aimed at supporting research culminating in land use plans, introduced a Geographical Information System (GIS) and involving local people in the management and benefits of the area. In 1993 it was included into the UNESCO World Heritage List.