Słowiński National Park ( pl, Słowiński Park Narodowy) is a
national park in
Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. It is situated on the
Baltic coast, between
Łeba and
Rowy. The northern boundary of the park consists of of coastline.
History
The original idea of creating a preserve here came out in 1946, at a conference in Łeba with scientists from
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
and
Gdańsk. The park, however, was created 21 years later, in 1967, on an area of . Today it is slightly larger, covering , of which consists of waters and of forests. The strictly preserved zone covers . In 1977
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
designated the park a
biosphere reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
under its Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MaB). The Słowiński wetlands were designated a
Ramsar Ramsar may refer to:
* Places so named:
** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran
** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India
* Eponyms of the Iranian city:
** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran
** Ramsar site, wetland listed in ...
site in 1995.
The park is named after the
Slavic (later
Germanized) people known as the
Slovincians Slovincians, also known as Łeba Kashubians, is a near-extinct ethnic subgroup of the Kashubian people, who originated from the north western Kashubia, located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, from the area around the lakes of Łebsko and G ...
( pl, Słowińcy), who used to live in this
swampy, inaccessible area at the edge of Lake Leba. In the village of
Kluki there is an open-air museum presenting aspects of this people's former life and culture.
Geography
In the past, the park's area was a
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
bay. The sea's activity, however, created
sand dunes which in the course of time separated the bay from the Baltic Sea. As waves and wind carry sand inland the dunes slowly move, at a speed of 3 to 10 metres per year. Some dunes are quite high - up to 30 metres. The highest peak of the park – Rowokol ( above sea level) – is also an excellent observation point. The "moving dunes" are regarded as a curiosity of nature on a European scale.
Waters, which occupy 55% of park's area, are made up of lakes -
Łebsko (, maximum depth ),
Gardno (, maximum depth ) and Dolgie Wielkie (, maximum depth ). Both Lebsko and Gardno lakes were previously bays. There are also seven rivers crossing the park, the largest being the
Łeba and the
Łupawa.
Forests in the park are mainly made of
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...
s. These trees cover 80% of wooded areas, there are also
peat
Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficient ...
bogs of several types. Of animals, the most numerous are birds with 257 species. This is because the park is located on the paths of
migrating birds. They feel safe here because human activities are limited. The most interesting species are:
erne,
eagle owl
The American (North and South America) horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus ''Bubo'', at least as traditionally described. The genus name ''Bubo'' is Latin for the Eurasian eagle-owl.
This genus contains 19 species that ar ...
,
crow
A crow is a bird of the genus '' Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...
,
swan and various kinds of
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...
s. Among the
mammals, there are
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...
,
wild pigs and
hares.
Tourist amenities
There are around of tourist walking trails. Beside the lakes are observation towers and along the trails one can find benches and resting places. Around the park there are many parking sites as well as hotels and camp sites, especially in Łeba.
Images
File:Signpost in Słowiński National Park.JPG, Signpost
File:Dune in Słowiński National Park 01.JPG, Dune
File:Dune in Słowiński National Park 02.JPG, Dune
File:Dune in Słowiński National Park 03.JPG, Dune
File:Dune in Słowiński National Park 04.JPG, Dune
File:Dead trees in Słowiński National Park 01.JPG, Dead trees
File:Dead trees in Słowiński National Park 02.JPG, Dead trees
File:Dead trees in Słowiński National Park 03.JPG, Dead trees
File:Dead trees in Słowiński National Park 04.JPG, Dead trees
File:Dead trees in Słowiński National Park 05.JPG, Dead trees
File:Dead trees in Słowiński National Park 06.JPG, Dead trees
File:Beach in Słowiński National Park, looking east.JPG, Beach, looking east
File:Beach in Słowiński National Park, looking west.JPG, Beach, looking west
See also
*
Desert of Maine
References
External links
The Board of Polish National ParksPhotosVideos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slowinski National Park
National parks of Poland
Biosphere reserves of Poland
Parks in Pomeranian Voivodeship
Protected areas established in 1967
Ramsar sites in Poland
Tourist attractions in Pomeranian Voivodeship
1967 establishments in Poland
Słupsk County