Lower Silesian Forest ( pl, Bory Dolnośląskie, german: Niederschlesische Heide) is the largest continuous forest of

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 ...

, with total area of 1650 square kilometers. It is located in southwestern Poland, in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship and the

Lubusz Voivodeship Lubusz Voivodeship, or Lubuskie Province ( pl, województwo lubuskie ), is a voivodeship (province) in western Poland. It was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra Voivodeships, pursuant to the Po ...

, near border with

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Western boundary of the forest is made by the Nysa Łużycka, behind which spreads a German forest, Muskauer Heide. It is mostly covered by

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 ...

trees. The area of the Lower Silesian Forest is predominantly flat, with the biggest point, the hill called Dębniak measuring only 238 meters above sea level. The wilderness is subdivided into several smaller forests, and it is crossed by a number of rivers, including the

Kwisa The Kwisa (german: Queis, hsb, Hwizdź) is a river in south-western Poland, a left tributary of the Bóbr, which itself is a left tributary of the Oder river. It rises in the Izera Mountains, part of the Western Sudetes range, where it runs al ...

, the

Bóbr Bóbr ( cs, Bobr, german: Bober, ) is a river which carries water through the north of the Czech Republic and the southwest of Poland, a left tributary of the Oder. Course The Bóbr has a length of (3 in Czech Republic, 276 in Poland, 10th ...

, and the

Szprotawa Szprotawa (german: Sprottau) is a town in western Poland, in Żagań County, Lubusz Voivodeship. It has 11,820 inhabitants (2019). History The region was part of Poland after the emergence of the Piast monarchy in the 10th century. The first me ...

. Among most important urban centers in this region are

Bolesławiec Bolesławiec (pronounced , szl, Bolesławiec, german: Bunzlau) is a historic city situated on the Bóbr River in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in western Poland. It is the administrative seat of Bolesławiec County, and of Gmina Bolesławiec, ...

Węgliniec Węgliniec (german: Kohlfurt) is a town in Zgorzelec County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, close to the border with Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Węgliniec. The town lies appr ...

Żagań Żagań ( French and german: Sagan, hsb, Zahań, la, Saganum) is a town in western Poland, on the Bóbr river, with 25,731 inhabitants (2019). The town is the capital of Żagań County in the historic region of Silesia. Previously in the Zielo ...

Żary Żary (pronounced , german: Sorau, dsb, Žarow) is a town in western Poland with 37,502 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Lubusz Voivodeship since 1999. Previously it was located within Zielona Góra Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the admin ...

, and Pieńsk. The Lower Silesian Forest is very popular among hunters, as it is rich in such animals as deer, wild pigs, hares, foxes, and wolves.

Gallery

317.74 Bory Dolnośląskie.png, Location within Poland Leśne ostępy - panoramio.jpg, Forest near Ruszów Leśny Staw - panoramio.jpg, Pond in

German bunker from WW2 near Szprotawa by Maciej Boryna.jpg, German bunker from World War II near

Gallery

See also