The World Biosphere Reserve, stretching for 385 km², is how the Kampinos National Park appears to visitors. There are 1500 species of plants, many animals such as moose, beavers, martens, hares, weasels, deer, badgers, and many of them already have the status of rare. Specialists are conducting a program of reproduction of lynxes to restore the population. There are already more than a dozen of them.
The park founded in 1959, but only in 2000 UNESCO recognized it as a World Heritage Site. Due to its convenient location, it often hosts various events, from entertainment concerts to recreational ones. They planned in such a way as not to harm the environment. For recreation, 12 glades are equipped at once. They equipped with barbecues, benches and tables, as well as other amenities for a pleasant pastime. It allowed to drive cars here only on public roads, but the car can be left in one of several parking lots at a rate of 2.5 euros per hour.
A bicycle route with a length of 141 kilometers passes through the park. The most beautiful part of the road is located between Leszno and Zhelyazova-Volya. There are also hiking trails with a length of 3 to 56 kilometers. The main one allows you to visit all types of natural areas and see the most interesting sights of the park.
What to see In Kampinos National Park
In the Kampinos National Park in Poland, tourists go, first of all, for the natural beauties and diversity of flora and fauna.
On the territory of the biosphere reserve, many natural communities are preserved, each of them is a unique ecosystem. Among them:
- pine and deciduous forests;
- wetlands;
- internal dunes.
Each of these groups includes hundreds of species of plants and rare animals. Some trees of the park are 200 years old, but due to mass deforestation in the past, the average age of plants is now no more than 80-100 years.
The park has a total of 118 plant communities and more than 1500 species of plants. Pine forests predominate. Deciduous forests grow mainly in swampy areas. However, the pine forest is gradually being replaced by mixed forest. Due to systematic and thoughtless felling over hundreds of years, 80% of the forest consists of trees with an age not older than a century, but some trees have age more than 200 years and reach a considerable height. Tree growth is favored by a soil rich in mineral components. The flora of Kampinos Park contains many elements of different origins from remote geographical regions, and the combination of marine and continental climate has a huge impact on diversity of flora.
Park Environments
The park, due to its specific mixing of environments with very different conditions , creates favorable conditions for the life of many species of animals, including a valuable one. a nesting place for birds and an important place on their migration route. The park has 3,000 species of animals. Constituting half of the total Polish fauna (especially reptiles, amphibians and mammals). But it is believed that the park is inhabited by a much larger number of species. There are moose, roe deer, deer, lynx, wild boar, beaver, as well as foxes, badgers, hares, martens, weasels. Moose is a kind of official trademark of the forest. Nesting gray crane, black stork, snake-eater, gray heron, white-tailed eagle, corncrake, bittern, etc. The least known about the fauna of invertebrates, which is also the largest group. 220 species of animals strictly protected.
The park reintroducing animals and plants that previously lived in the area and became extinct as a result of human activities.
How to get to Kampinos National Park in Poland
Kampinos National Park is located 25 km from Warsaw, but it is possible to get to it by public transport.
From the metro station Metro Młociny 03 and the stop of the same name there is a regular departure of bus number 210. It reaches the village and the truskaw skibińskiego 01 stop, from where most of the hiking trails in the park begin. Buses run throughout the day, the interval is about 15-20 minutes, and the travel time to the target is no more than half an hour. The exact timetable and the route of the bus are here.
You can get to the entrance to the National Kampinos Park by car along the DW898 and Wisłostrada highways (there are parking lots at the entrance) or use local taxi mobile applications: Bolt (Taxify), Free Now (MyTaxi), iTaxi and Uber. The journey by car will take approximately 45-50 minutes, depending on the traffic situation.
Climate
The park is influenced by the marine climate, with a predominance of the continental. The average annual temperature is around 7.8°C; the average annual rainfall is about 530 mm. Due to the varied topography and landscape, the park’s climate is not uniform throughout the area. The climate of the park also differs from neighboring areas: cool or warm air masses remain here longer than in Warsaw, more often there are windless periods. The climate is also influenced by the valley of the Vistula River and the proximity of the urban agglomeration of Warsaw.
