Hajnów County: Primeval Forest, Trails and Culture

The Białowieża Primeval Forest is the largest forest complex in Hajnów County and is considered Europe’s best-preserved lowland forest in the deciduous and mixed-forest zone. The Białowieża National Park lies within the primeval forest: it covers 10.5 thousand hectares and was established in 1921. Nature, trails and cultural attractions in Hajnówka give your trip several possible focuses. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can consider whether you would like to include mainly the forest landscape and its trails, or also cultural experiences in Hajnówka, in your holiday plans.

Forest and trails in Białowieża National Park

Individual visitors can walk the “Carska Tropina,” “Wilczy Szlak,” “Wokół Uroczyska Głuszec” and “Tropem Żubra” trails, as well as the “Przez trzy zbiorowiska” educational trail, without a guide in the national park. The “Do Dębu Jagiełły” route through the strictly protected area is different: it may only be walked under the guidance of a tourist guide licensed by the park director. When planning your excursions, it is therefore worth considering your preferred route alongside the access rules that apply to it.

The “Kraina Puszczy i Żubra” Nordic walking park in Hajnówka offers another way to get active. Its seven marked routes, equipped with maps, range from 3 to 21 km. They start at the water park in Hajnówka or at the “Zwierzyniec” car park on provincial road 689 between Hajnówka and Białowieża. The “Pętla Żubra” route is also part of this park: it is 15 km long and takes about three hours. These details can help you include a suitable route in your plans for an active day.

Blacksmithing, music and regional culture

In Hajnówka, the Museum of Blacksmithing and Locksmithing tells the story of a family forge founded in 1927. The museum has 586 exhibits. Visits include blacksmithing demonstrations, and visitors can try striking red-hot iron with a hammer themselves. Those interested in traditional crafts will find not only objects here, but also a hands-on encounter with working iron.

Music and cultural events offer further points of interest. Since 2002, the International Festival Hajnowskie Dni Muzyki Cerkiewnej has been held as a week-long competition in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Hajnówka. The Museum and Centre of Belarusian Culture in Hajnówka organises craft and art workshops, as well as the recurring ethnographic festivals “Kultura na schodach muzeum” and “I tam żywuć ludzi.” The Szlak Pamięci Hajnówki offers another perspective on Hajnówka: this route leads to traces of past cultures and events that shaped the town and its residents.

More discoveries and travel ideas

In the Park of Podlaskie Monuments in Miniature, a plaque beside each model explains the history of the building depicted and related details. The tourist narrow-gauge railway offers an audio guide in Polish and English, with information about the railway, the Białowieża Primeval Forest and the Topiło forest settlement. Its route from Hajnówka to Topiło is 11 km long; since 2001, there has also been a 6 km route from Hajnówka into the valley of the Leśna River. If you enjoy combining different themes when planning a trip, you can consider nature, railways and culture as separate interests without combining them into a single excursion.

More places to consider for your trip: Bialowieza, Postołowo, Narewka, Janowo, Krynica, Hajnówka, Tarnopol, Kruhlik, Leśna, Pogorzelce, Kleszczele, Łuka, Dubicze Cerkiewne, Orzeszkowo, Siemianówka, Nowoberezowo, Lewkowo Stare, Trześcianka, Gruzka, Wiluki and Czeremcha.

For the broader travel overview: Podlasie.