Suwalki Landscape Park

This corner of Poland was shaped by the ice more sharply than almost anywhere else in the country. Instead of the flat plain people expect, the ground rises into steep round hills with lakes dropped between them, and the roads run along ridges that give long views over farmland, water and woodland. It was the first landscape park established in Poland, in 1976, over about sixty-three square kilometres, and the appeal is the whole terrain rather than any single object. Lake Hancza, the deepest lake in the country at over a hundred metres, lies within it, and the conical hill of Cisowa Gora is the local landmark, small but so regular in shape that it stands out for miles.

Highlights

• The Smolniki viewpoints - roadside platforms looking over a chain of lakes set among rounded glacial hills.
• Lake Hancza - the deepest lake in Poland, cold and clear, with a steep sided shore.
• Cisowa Gora - a neat conical hill that rises straight out of the fields and can be climbed in a few minutes.
• The hillfort at Szurpily - an isolated hill above a lake that carried an early stronghold, now grassed over.

When to go

Late spring and early autumn give the clearest air and the strongest colours in the fields. Summer is warm and the lakes are swimmable, though the water in Hancza stays cold at depth all year. Winter here is severe, with the region often recording the lowest temperatures in the country, but the snow covered hills photograph well if you are prepared.

Good to know

There is nothing built to visit and no ticketed attraction, which disappoints people who arrive expecting sights. Distances between viewpoints are short but public transport is almost nonexistent, so without a car it is difficult. The wind on the ridges is constant, facilities are limited to a few villages, and in poor weather the whole landscape flattens into grey.

Nearby

Lake Wigry and its monastery are half an hour south, and the Augustow canal country lies beyond that.

Key facts