Drawa National Park. Natural treasure of Poland. Bird paradise and impenetrable forests

• The Drawa National Park is located in 3 voivodeships: Lubuskie, Wielkopolskie and Zachodniopomorskie
• It is formed by the valley of two rivers - the Drawa River and the Płocicz tributary, creating the letter V
• 80% of the area of the Park is forests
• The best time to visit the DPN is spring, the turn of March and April, when there are many birds for mating and summer for rafting
• Drava kayaking is possible from 1 July to 15 March, apart from this date you can only kayak by tributaries
• Admission to the Park is free, but you need to buy a ticket during the rafting, you can do it online

Drawa National Park is the third largest national park in Poland and the second least popular. And that means only one thing: that he is truly wild. During our visit in March, we had this bird paradise to ourselves. We did not meet other tourists and shared it only with nature, experiencing unusual encounters with animals such as moose, cranes or white-tailed eagles! See interesting trails, paths, unique lakes and attractions of this region.

Drawieński PN: location, access and parking

Drawieński National Park is located on the border of 3 voivodships: Zachodniopomorskie, Wielkopolskie and Lubuskie. It was created in the Drawska Forest complex, in the southern part of the Pomeranian Lake District. Access to the park is relatively easy. From Warsaw, you can get here by national road No. 10, and then by road No. 175 to Drawno or 22 to Dobiegniew. From Wrocław, it is best to follow the national road No. 5, and then No. 11, to finally reach Drawno by local roads. From Gdańsk, take the road No. 20, and then 177, 10 and 175 to Drawno. Access by public transport is more difficult. You can take a bus to Święcin and then take local buses or a taxi. You can reach, for example, Piła by train.

There are plenty of free parking lots in the Park, e.g. at Lake Ostrowiec and almost every other attraction. I recommend parking in designated areas to avoid the hassle of parking in a protected area.

V-shaped DPN like a bird's wings!

The park was created in 1990 and is one of the most charming national parks in Poland. It covers an area of about 11,000 ha, of which 80% is forests. Interestingly, the Park is formed by the valley of two rivers - the Drawa River and the Płocicz tributary, creating the letter V, which resembles the spread wings of a bird. Ideally, because the winged representatives of the fauna are significant animals of this valley. Particularly active in spring, during mating.

Nature paths in the Drawa National Park

There are several marked teaching paths in the Park, which allow you to get to know its most interesting fragments:

• Educational trail Ostrowiec Lake: 5 km (to the village of Ostrowite) + 2 km (to Węgornia), free parking at Ostrowiec Lake. It will take about 3-4 hours. Attractions: Ostrowieckie Lake, Czarne Lake, Ostrowite settlement with half-timbered houses, an old cemetery and church ruins, a former eel. You can also drive to the settlement of Ostrowite and from here walk 2 km to Węgornia

• Głusko Educational Trail
  : free car park at the Tourist Information Office (Głusko 8), 3.5 km away. This will take about 2 hours. Attractions: Free exhibition about fish Water World at the IT point, Drawa River, Kamienna Hydroelectric Power Plant, observation tower

• Trail Drawnik: free parking by the shed, 3.9 km away. This will take about 2 hours. In autumn, the Apple Festival takes place here

• Barnimie educational trail
  : 3 km from the Dębina village in Barnim to the camping site in Barnim, and then 4 km to Zatom along the Drawa River through the Drawski Matecznik village. Total about 4 hours

• Didactic trail Międzybór: 4.1 km, takes about 2.5 hours and offers natural attractions

The biggest attractions and curiosities of this area - map

The park offers many hiking trails, including hiking, cycling and kayaking, which allows you to actively relax among the beautiful nature. There are also architectural monuments in the area, such as the remains of the church and the Evangelical-Augsburg cemetery in Ostrowitem. See the most beautiful attractions of the DPN.

Ostrovite: interesting half-timbered houses, cemetery and church ruins

Ostrowite is a former settlement located in the heart of the Park. It was founded in 1588 by a representative of the von Wedel family - Rudiger from Drawno, as part of the colonization of the Drawska Forest. In 1808, there were 19 houses here. Today you will see here some beautiful half-timbered houses from the end of the 19th century. Nearby are also the ruins of a brick church from the 18th century. A maple alley leads to them. Ruins surround the former cemetery. Many of these are scattered in these areas, which proves that the region was once more densely populated. In the cemetery, as in others, tombstones in the shape of a felled tree trunk are characteristic, symbolizing the felled tree of life. A tombstone with blacksmith insignia is also interesting here. In Moczelach you will find a tomb in the shape of an open book, and in Miradz you will find the tombstone of a forester with a deer of St. Hubert. We were delighted by the numerous snowdrifts in this cemetery. Ivy and periwinkles also grow here.

Stara Węgornia

Stara Węgornia is an interesting place in the Park. In the 1820s, a water mill was built here. Until the 1970s, eel traps were set here, which flowed to the Baltic Sea for spawning. Overnight, you could catch up to 900 kg of fish. Today, it is a nice walking area. You will come here from under the cemetery in Ostrowite.

Mierzęcin Palace

The Mierzęcin Palace is an impressive, neo-Gothic monument from the 19th century. Together with well-kept farm buildings and a beautiful park, they form an elegant holiday complex. Interestingly, you will find here the third largest vineyard in Poland, as well as a winery with a horse farm. The property offers guest rooms with spa facilities and a restaurant in the palace and in the Distillery.

The large park falls through terraces from the palace to the wet valley of the Mierzęcka Struga. The most effective element of the assumption is the Japanese garden with a stylish architecture: a gazebo, a bridge and a torii gate painted in red and an island on which a Japanese lighthouse stands. In the eastern part of the park there is a family cemetery with the graves of the last owners of the von Waldow family. The English part of the park impresses with huge trees with natural monuments. These are fine beeches, oaks, plane trees, lindens, hornbeams and binders.

Exhibition at the Centre for Education and Tourism in Drawno

The center is located on Lake Dubie and offers an interesting and multimedia exhibition about the nature of the Drawa Park for a fee. You will see rare birds in close-up films, listen to their singing, and get to know the inhabitants of the surrounding forests. There is also a Tourist Information point here, but there were no free materials. There is a car park on site.

Wedelów Castle in Drawno

The very modest ruins of the castle dominate the village. The castle was built in the 13th century, and more precisely  in 1296, on the site of a fortified settlement. It was the property of the Wedel brothers, a knightly family. This makes the building one of the oldest strongholds in Western Pomerania, in the so-called New March. In the fourteenth century, it was besieged by Władysław Łokietek himself. In 1600, it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. The property was destroyed by the Swedes in the 17th century, and later by the Russians in the next century. Unfortunately, we could not find a link to the creators of Wedel chocolate.

Tourist Information Point with the Water World exhibition in Głusk

In Głusk, we invite you to a well-stocked Tourist Information Point. We received here free materials with descriptions of didactic paths in the Park. There is also a free Water World exhibition, presenting live fish in aquariums that inhabit the surrounding lakes. Free parking is also available here.

Kamienna Hydroelectric Power Plant in Głusko

The Kamienna hydroelectric power plant is the most interesting technical monument of the region. It is one of the oldest hydroelectric power plants in Poland and Europe. Work on it began in 1896, just 5 years after the construction of the oldest hydroelectric power plant in the world! She stood at the carbide factory and began work in 1903. The power plant operates to this day and hides original equipment, including hydro-assemblies with Francis turbines from 1893 and 1898.

Observation tower by the power plant

The tower is a wooden structure. It stands on the banks of the Drawa River and offers views of the power plant, the water ribbon and the so-called fish staircase, i.e. a modern pass.

He will tear out the boulder

A huge erratic boulder, which came to us from south-eastern Sweden, will tear out the boulder. It weighs as much as 45 tons and has a circumference of 14 meters. It is the largest boulder in the Drawa riverbed and a souvenir of the last glaciation that took place about 15,000 years ago. You will see it near Sitnica and Moczele. There is a marked tourist route.

Lakes in the DPN

There are more than 20 lakes in the Park. They are post-glacial, usually deep and clean. The deepest lake is Dubie, while the cleanest one is Pecnik Duży. They are surrounded by forests.

Ostrowiec Lake

Lake Ostrowiec is the largest reservoir in the Park. It measures 387 hectares and lies in a deep post-glacial gutter. The deepest point is 28.5 meters. On the islands, lakes nestle shags and spawn nurogęs, away from terrestrial predators. In spring, turtles roll on the board, and white-tailed eagles fly over the water. There are a lot of fish species in the lake, including: perch, fence, whitefish, grouse, bream, eels and pike. Lake trout - a rare form of trout - is a peculiarity of the ichthyofauna. The Ostrowiec Lake Educational Trail leads by the lake. There is a low birdwatching tower on it.

Lake Black

The Black Lake is the most interesting natural feature in the Park and is also considered one of the most beautiful reservoirs in the region. Also post-glacial, it hides some interesting facts. It is 29 meters deep, has no drain and the wind never mixes its waters to the bottom. This phenomenon is rare and is called meromiksji. For this reason, below a dozen or so meters, it is dead and only anaerobic bacteria live there. The Black Lake is famous for its very clean water and high transparency as well as emerald colour. A rare fish lives here - sowing.

Nature of the Drawa National Park

Drawa National Park is famous for its natural diversity. There are as many as 893 species of vascular plants, of which 59 are protected. There are mixed forests, peat bogs, meadows, lakes and rivers, creating a mosaic of ecosystems conducive to rich flora and fauna. Particularly characteristic are beech forests and the Drawa River, which meanders through the park, creating picturesque bends and water habitats.

Forests

DPN is very forested, as much as 80% of the area is forests. We saw here coniferous forests, birch forests, mixed forests, and beech and oak forests are particularly valuable. However, they were processed for economic needs, including metallurgical production. A pine monoculture was introduced in their place, which is currently planned to be replaced by original species. It is a long and tedious process, but it is helped by animals that collect seeds and, by the way, "plant" trees. It's mostly jays and squirrels. In addition, roe deer, deer and elk live in the forests. Even bison roam here sometimes. Of the predators, the wolf is the most unique. Several wolf families live here. However, the fox is much more common.

Our meeting with moose

Moose are the largest deer in Poland, they like to hike near lakes, because they are excellent swimmers, they can dive in search of tasty plants. Shy, but when we stood still, they looked at us quite calmly. We met them twice, the first time they were quickly frightened off by stepping on a twig that snapped. The second time, after about an hour, we could stare at them much longer. We will remember this meeting for a long time, because 1 moose in the wild is already something great, but 3 is unlikely to be repeated in life

Birds

Birds are very numerous in the Park. As many as 141 species live here, many of them nest in the Park. You can find here, among others, black stork, goose, crane, heron, mountain plaice, kingfisher, plush, mute swan, as well as the largest owl in Europe - owl. Among the species of birds of prey, the following are noteworthy: fish, lesser spotted eagle or bumblebee. They like these areas of the white-tailed eagle very much. There are numerous jays, rich tits and woodpeckers. In the spring, at the turn of March and April, numerous birds flock here to survive their mating, and later to raise their young.

Interesting specimens that we managed to see:

• White-tailed eagle: the largest bird in Poland, rather young, because it did not yet have a clear white tail and a yellow beak. Its wingspan is larger than that of a swan, but it is lighter than it. And did you know that this species is probably illustrated in our emblem? The golden eagle, which is the second candidate, occurs mainly in the mountains and is very rare in Poland, and the white-tailed eagle loves the forests and wetlands of our lowlands. Just like in DPN!
• Cranes: quite rare in Poland, we were lucky to have them there, they pair up for life and remain faithful to their partner for up to 40 years, because they live out so many springs in the wild. In flight, they can reach up to 100 km/hour. Their mating season is about to begin
• Silent swans, young and adult: the heaviest Polish birds capable of flight need a long run to get into the air

Fish and otter: DPN symbol

In the surrounding lakes and rivers, there are quite a lot of fences, sticks and perches. In addition, bream, ropes, hail and eels are rarer pike and grayling, and even more valuable sowing, sowing and catfish, as well as certa or trout, i.e. the ecological form of trout. In addition, you will meet a beaver and an otter in the waters of the Park. The last one is the symbol of the Park, found in the logo.

Drawa. Drawa kayaking

Drawa is a tributary of Noteć. It flows in north-western Poland and is over 180 km long. In the upper section, the river flows through numerous lakes, meandering among forests and meadows. Her current is calm, even lazy. After leaving Lake Lubie, the river flows out, gains speed, and the fast current and rocky bottom resemble mountain rivers. In the Drawa Drawa Park, it is wide and deep, but its current is fast. In addition, the river is full of obstacles in the form of fallen trees, and the river banks are usually high. Rafting with it is not easy.

Remember that if you want to kayak on the Drawa River, you need to buy a ticket online. You can't swim on this river from March 16th to June 30th. Then the birds have broods and raise young.

Fruit Orchards and Apple Festival

The former element of the DPN were backyard fruit orchards. To this day, apple alleys can be found on the trails. An interesting event is a reminder of this. Every autumn, the Apple Festival is organized in Drawnik. In 2015, the largest raccoon with apples was baked here, which went to the Book of Records of Poland. A giant pan with a diameter of 2.1 meters was made especially for this occasion. The following year, also during the Apple Festival, a Polish record was set for extruding juice using a manual press. It amounted to 40.86 liters of juice pressed in just 30 minutes and as much as 91 liters in one hour. These culinary records show how important the fruit traditions play an important role in the culture of the region.

Low popularity of DPN

DPN is the third largest national park in Poland, and in 2020 it was visited by only 27,000 tourists. There were fewer visitors only in Narew National Park, which we visited in 2023. Thanks to this, you will not meet crowds here, but you can enjoy communing with nature in peace and quiet.

Accommodation. Where is it worth staying for a long time?

In the vicinity of the Park there are many places to stay. Mainly campsites and agritourism. During the season, it is worth booking a place in advance. I especially recommend Dacza Puchaczain Stary Osieczno, which is an interesting glamping offering incredible proximity to nature, almost in the bend of Drawa, at the border with the Park. There are yurts that offer a luxurious holiday away from civilization, but with a heated hot tub, sauna or fireplace. Each yurt has its own kitchenette, equipped, private bathroom with shower, and a bathtub on the terrace.

A luxurious overnight stay awaits you at the Mierzęcin Palace, where you will also find a spa offer, a horse stadium and a wine bar.

Here you will find a wide selection of accommodations. By booking your stay on Booking.com through our link, you support the development of our blog — and we thank you in advance! It helps us reach many interesting places that we later love to show you and share our experiences and information with you.

Where to eat?

In the tourist season in the Park you will find several gastronomic points, but in the off-season it is quite difficult. Throughout the year, you can eat deliciously in the complex in Mierzęcin, both in the palace itself and in the restaurant in the Distillery on the premises of the palace farm. Prices aren't low, but it's really tasty. You will eat more homely and cheaper at Przystanek Jedzonko in Stary Osieczno, but not on Monday. Then it's closed, and we ended up here on that day. 

When is the best time to visit Drawa Park?

The best time to visit the Drawieński Park is spring and summer, when nature is the most lush and weather conditions are conducive to active recreation. In the spring, bird mating is very much attracted here, and in the summer, kayaking. Autumn is also beautiful, especially for lovers of mushroom picking and walks in colorful forests. In winter, the park is ideal for cross-country skiing and hiking in the snow.

Drawa National Park is a place that is definitely worth visiting to experience the beauty of Polish nature and relax in peace and quiet. The most interesting part of it is the vicinity of Lake Ostrowiec, together with the village of Ostrowite.

Our video about the national park

We invite you to watch our film about the Drawa National Park.

Walking in other national parks in Poland

It is also worth taking a walk and getting to know other national parks in Poland, such as: Biebrzański, Kampinoski, Słowiński, Wigierski or Świętokrzyski National Park.

See our description of all national parks in Poland

Practical information

Drawieński Park National
Centre for Education and Tourism DPN
with a paid nature exhibition ul. Kolejowa 20, Drawno
open every day except Mondays
Tourist Information Point with a free exhibition about fish
Głusko 8
Admission to the DPN is free, but if you want to kayak on Drawa, you need to buy a ticket online. 
You can't swim on the Drawa River from March 16 to June 30. Then the birds have broods and raise young.
The parking lots in the Park are free of charge
www.dpn.pl

Rent a car

Exploring becomes much easier when you have your own means of transport. You don’t have to worry about buses or taxis, and you can plan each day your way. The search box below will help you find the right car – right where your journey begins.

What's worth seeing in the area?

If you have already visited this attraction, it is also worth visiting several other interesting ones places nearby. Within a radius of 100 kilometers you will find many interesting places places that can diversify your stay in this part of Poland.

• Łagów, distance: 91.8  km
• Poznań, distance: 97.3  km