Puszcza Niepolomicka

The Niepolomice forest is about ten thousand hectares of oak, hornbeam and pine on the Vistula terrace east of Krakow, and it was a royal hunting ground from the medieval period - Casimir the Great built a hunting castle in the town, later rebuilt by Sigismund the Old, and the forest was managed for game for centuries, which is why substantial old oak stands survive in it. European bison were bred back in Poland from 1929 onwards after the species went extinct in the wild, rebuilt entirely from about fifty animals that survived in captivity, and Niepolomice has held a herd since the 1930s with a show enclosure where several can be seen reliably - which is the practical difference from Bialowieza, where they are free-ranging and sightings are luck. The forest also has marked cycling routes, the Poszyna oak reserve, and Niepolomice castle in the town, a Renaissance courtyard building restored in the 2000s.

History

Close to Kraków, then the capital, the forest was the favourite hunting ground of Polish royalty from the 13th century, and it is first mentioned in a document of 1242. Casimir III the Great built a royal hunting castle nearby, later rebuilt by Sigismund I the Old with gardens for Queen Bona, and in 1527 Bona's youngest son Albert was born early after she was injured while hunting here, at a spot later called Poszynie; kings hunted bear, aurochs and wisent along its Royal Road (Wikipedia, Niepołomice Forest).

The landscape

• A royal hunting forest - managed for game for centuries, with old oak surviving.
• A bison enclosure - reliable sightings, unlike free-ranging herds elsewhere.
• A species rebuilt from fifty - the European bison restored entirely from captive animals.
• Niepolomice castle - a Renaissance courtyard building in the town, restored in the 2000s.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Before you go

The bison are in an enclosure, not free-ranging - it is reliable rather than wild. Entry to the enclosure is charged and it closes on some weekdays. The forest is flat and uniform in stretches. Ticks are a real issue in warm months.

Nearby

Krakow is west; the Vistula runs along the forest's southern edge.

Key facts