The Augustów Canal (80km within present-day Polish borders) is a remarkable achievement of the 19th century hydraulic engineering. There are 18 locks along the way (14 in Poland) and the canal links all larger Augustów lakes, creating an attractive waterway for kayakers and pleasure boat cruises and running through the beautiful Augustów Forest. It is expected to be placed on UNESCO's World Heritage list soon. Excellent conditions for water sports with such facilities as a hoist for water-skiers.
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Białystok has a historic centre from the 18th century with a market square, where stands a baroque town hall, now a museum. Nearby a neo-classical Orthodox church with valuable icons and two Catholic churches: one erected in the Renaissance and baroque style, another one - in the neo-Gothic. The most admired monument of Białystok is the late-baroque palace and park complex of the Branicki family. Burnt down during WWII, it was reconstructed to become the seat of the Academy of Medicine. The park was laid out in the 18th century as a landscape park with French sections.
At Kiermusy an old Polish manor house called Dworek nad Ł±kami was recreated. Later three other traditional buildings were added: Karczma Rzym, Czworaki Dworskie, Jantarowy Kasztel. Visitors can spend a night in the Royal Chamber, Russian Room or Jewish Suite and find relaxation in the Rasputin's Steam Bath. Dishes of the excellent Podlasie cuisine are served, including meats prepared according to old recipes, bread baked in the oven and famous Kiermusy liquors. The whole complex offers the first-rate conditions for active rest in close contact with nature.
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The cultural heritage of the Tykocin Jews is best represented by its 17th century synagogue which houses a Jewish museum. The most important Orthodox sanctuary in Poland is located on the Holy Mountain in Grabarka. The most striking thing is that the church is surrounded by a forest of thousands of crosses brought by pilgrims. An original modern Orthodox church is found at Hajnówka. Timber mosques and Muslim cemeteries can be visited at Bohoniki and Kruszyniany. They were set up by Tartar settlers in the 17th century.
Several dozen lakes interconnected by rivers are the real wealth of the park. The largest is Lake Wigry (73m deep, 5th largest in Poland). River Czarna Hańcza flows through the park and together with the Augustów Canal constitutes Poland's most attractive kayaking route. The wildlife is diverse and the beaver is the park's emblem. There is a Camaldolese monastery (17th-18th cc.), church and hermitages located on a peninsula in Lake Wigry. The monastery has been turned into a working pension for writers and other artists.
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The largest national park in Poland, the Biebrza wildlife refuge encompasses Europe's most extensive natural bog area. The fauna is diverse and dominated by water and mud birds with some extremely rare species. The park is Poland's largest habitat of the elk. The park's wildlife can be conveniently observed during guided rafting trips down the river course. Built in the late 19th century fortress of Osowiec, located in the Biebrza River valley, is certainly worth a visit.
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Sometimes called Polish Amazon, the Narew National Park is another marshland nature reserve which protect the upper river course crisscrossed by channels and forming a constellation of swampy islets. Aquatic and meadow wildlife is very rich, but the greatest attraction of the park is its avifauna, well-represented by numerous species of water and mud birds. River Narew is available for kayakers and trips are organized along the river's upper course with various events, bus tours and biking rides along the circular trail of the park.
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The major part of the forest is occupied by the Białowieża National Park, a strict nature reserve which was entered on UNESCO's list of world Biosphere Reserves and that of World Cultural Heritage as well. The oldest primeval forest in Europe, the park's strict nature reserved can only be entered with a guide. Białowieża is famous for its bison reserve, where the animals are bred in their natural habitat. In the demonstration section you can also see the żubroń, a cross between a bison and a cow, and the tarpan, a Polish cousin of the extinct wild Ukrainian steppe horses. A ride on a narrow-gauge train is a popular tourist attraction.
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