Kampinos National Park

About

Kampinos National Park (Polish: Kampinoski Park Narodowy) is a national park in east-central Poland, in Masovian Voivodeship, on the northwest outskirts of Warsaw. It is Poland's second-largest national park by area and the only national park in the Masovian Voivodeship. It has a sister park agreement with Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana, United States.

The idea of creating a park in the area was first proposed in the 1920s. In the 1930s, the first forest reserves were opened: Granica, Sieraków and Zamczysko. Today, these reserves are much larger and are strictly protected.

The park was created in 1959, covering a total area of 407 square kilometres (157 sq mi). It covers the ancient Kampinos Forest (Puszcza Kampinoska). In January 2000 the area was added to UNESCO’s list of biosphere reserves.

The park is now slightly smaller than it was at its founding, currently covering 385.44 square kilometres (148.82 sq mi), of which 46.38 square kilometres (17.91 sq mi) is strictly protected. The protective zone around the park covers 377.56 square kilometres (145.78 sq mi). Forests account for around 73% of the park's area, and the most common tree is the pine.

The park's landscapes also...