Zieleniec Peat Bog

Torfowisko pod Zieleniecem is a raised bog covering about 230 hectares on a plateau at around 760 metres in the Bystrzyckie mountains, and a raised bog is a specific thing: peat accumulates faster than it decays until the surface rises above the surrounding water table, at which point the bog is fed only by rain, becomes extremely acidic and nutrient-poor, and supports a flora that can live in almost nothing. What grows here includes dwarf mountain pine, dwarf birch, cranberry, sundew and cotton grass, several of them glacial relicts occurring far south of their main range. The bog is a strict reserve and a boardwalk with an observation tower crosses part of it, which is the only permitted access - walking on the surface damages a structure that took thousands of years to build. Zieleniec above it is a ski resort and one of the snowiest places in Poland.

What you actually see

• A raised bog - peat grown above the water table and fed only by rain.
• Glacial relicts - dwarf birch, sundew and cotton grass far south of their range.
• A boardwalk and tower - the only permitted access across a strict reserve.
• Snow country - Zieleniec above it among the snowiest places in Poland.

When to go

May to September; June for cotton grass. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Access is boardwalk only - the surface must not be walked on. It is visually subtle: a flat expanse of low vegetation, not a spectacle. Mosquitoes are severe in summer. A small fee applies.

Nearby

Duszniki-Zdroj is below; the Table Mountains are north-east.