Roztocze National Park - the heart of Roztocze. What attractions are worth seeing in RPN?

Roztocze National Park is located in the middle of Roztocze, in the heart of a picturesque land, stretching in a narrow range from Kraśnik to Lviv. Today, the Park itself has an area of over 8,000 hectares. It is the mainstay of the Polish Horse - a descendant of the wild tarpan. It was mainly for him that we came here,  because it is the symbol of the Park and the great charm of these areas. And did you know that the area of the National Park is almost 95% forest? Incredibly beautiful forests, especially when autumn gilds the leaves. I don't think we've ever seen such a rich variety of mushrooms. You will also find the wonder of Poland, i.e. the Guciów Homestead, wonderful springs and magnificent views.

History of the Park

The park was established on May 10, 1974, protecting the most interesting and most valuable natural areas of the beautiful Roztocze in the Lublin Voivodeship. They were once the forests of the Zamość Ordynacja, which was founded by Jan Zamoyski - the creator of Zamość - an ideal fortress city. Initially, the Park covered 4,800 ha, and today, after being expanded twice, its area is 8,483 ha. These are wonderful, green areas, which are an oasis of nature and peace, especially after the season. The specific capital of the region is Zwierzyniec, where not only the Tourist Information Point is waiting, but also the Educational and Museum Center of the RPN.

Experiences in Roztocze Park

It is one of the most beautiful natural places in Poland. It offers the opportunity to spend time actively in nature, as well as watching animals, e.g. deer, horses or birds. Walking through forest paths has a very positive effect on our health, and additionally improves our well-being. And although the area of the Park is predominantly forests, you can also find other interesting attractions and even monuments here. Check out the tourist attractions we've been able to visit in these areas!

Echo Ponds in Zwierzyniec

It is one of the most famous and beautiful attractions of the Park. It currently consists of 4 reservoirs, spilling in Zwierzyniec. There is a paid car park, a sandy beach and platforms with an observation deck. In summer, ponds also have a recreational function. Unfortunately, the creation of the beach triggered erosion processes, revealing the roots of trees, which are somewhat reminiscent of fairytale entas.

Ducks and swans swim around the ponds, and herons can also be found here. You will get here by walking through the loop from the main car park through Bukowa Góra. For the winter, water from the ponds is drained.
Address: Plażowa Street, Zwierzyniec, free admission

Rybakówka observation tower

Over the Echo Ponds, in the so-called Rybakówka, there was an observation tower, allowing you to admire the reservoirs from above. Opposite you will find a catwalk of horses characteristic of this region. Interestingly, as we learned from the resident we met, they often walk right here, on the dikes between the ponds.
Address: Plażowa Street, Zwierzyniec, free admission

Bukowa Góra Reserve

It is an elevation of 310 m above sea level, in the area of strict protection. Just behind the hill there is a viewpoint over the nearby areas and the village of Sochy, located in a picturesque ravine. It is worth seeing, and in addition you can have a picnic here on the benches, under the shed. You can reach Bukowa Góra by stairs, behind the green signs of the didactic path. From the main car park, through the wooden gate of the Park, and then through an extremely picturesque forest. It was swarming with unusual mushrooms and mosses.
Address: entrance from Plażowa Street, Zwierzyniec. Admission behind the ticket to the Park

Museum exhibition in Zwierzyniec

It presents the flora and fauna of the region since the dawn of time. The exhibitions are visited with an audio guide, walking among ingenious dioras. They include dinosaurs, bears, lynxes and other animals found here. Of course, there are also horses, the gray ones, the only ones right in this place, but we prefer to see them live, because it is not difficult at all. I must admit that the exhibition made a positive impression on us.
Address: ul. Plażowa 3, Zwierzyniec, paid admission, paid parking

Biała Góra observation tower

Biała Góra is a beautiful viewpoint. The most beautiful in the area and I highly recommend it! In addition, the wooden observation tower standing here allows you to admire a very wide panorama of the surrounding hills. It lies in the heart of the Park and what is rare here is not covered with trees. The vast meadows open up beautiful landscapes. All the more so in autumn, which adds a special charm to the forests and shows the extraordinary beauty of this season. Grazing cows make it idyllic. The viewpoint is easily and quickly accessible from the parking lot.
Address: Biały Pole, free entrance, free parking

Secretary with a horse run in Kosobudy

See what wonderful specimens we met in the Secretary's Office in Kosobudy. Like an extinct tarpan, the Polish horse is short, 130-140 cm at the withers, it is mousy, with a black stripe on its back. Here in the season you can easily see these animals on the catwalk. They are very mild, you can feed them with twigs, but apparently they also like bread very much. We did not, but if you take them with you, they will be happy to come!

And did you know that almost until the end of the 18th century, forest tarpans lived wild in the wild? They were caught and placed near Biłgoraj. They were bred there until 1808. Later, due to poverty, they were distributed to peasants, who crossed them with ordinary horses, losing the purity of the species. This is how a new breed of horse, otherwise called Biłgorajski, was created.
Address: Kosobudy 100 A, free entrance, free parking

Black Pond

The Black Pond is a pond completely lost in the forest. It spills near the Echo ponds and is fed by the waters of the Cricket stream. It reminded us a bit of the landscape of biscuits from Wigry National Park. To get here, you can park by the beach.
Address: Gościniec Florianiecki, Zwierzyniec

Noise Reserve

Do you know the popular Noise over the Tanna? We offer a secluded alternative - the Noise Reserve (both lie outside the Park). Here, on the meandering river of the same name, a dam was created, from which waterfalls flow, and then the river flows into the Tanwas. The place is very charming. You can make a loop about 3 kilometers long here. It is a path through an extremely atmospheric forest. It is overgrown with saplings and alders as well as firs and pines. We were enchanted by the richness of mushrooms here. It is a walk like in the primeval forest, with a murmuring stream into which the old woman's trees fell, creating a charming thicket of logs.
Address: Górecko Kościelne, free entrance, free parking

Guciów Farmhouse

We came to the Guciów Homestead after about 10 years. I remember that I really liked this place. I am not surprised, because at the entrance there is a sign that the place was created out of the passion of two geographers. They will recognize themselves! The hobbies of the creators are explained by a very rich geological exhibition, which we will find here. It is amazing how many curiosities and real uniqueness can be admired here, and at the same time listen to the guide. Bones of dinosaurs, fossils in the form of ammonites or belemnites, and even a new species from Poland - benetite, i.e. an original fossil plant.

The gems here are certainly fragments of meteorites, along with the greatest pride of this place - the Zakłodzie meteorite. It was discovered in Roztocze by the owners of Stanisław and Anna Jachymków. It fell at the end of the 19th century, as was reported in the newspapers of the time, but it waited 101 years to be found.

In addition to geological exhibitions, there are also ethnographic exhibitions, about which the guide also tells a very interesting story: "Here is the sukmana from the Zamość costume. We have a Zamość outfit, a Bilgoraj-Tarnogród outfit. Tyszowiaki shoes were an indispensable element of peasant and everyday attire. This is a great legend. Namely, tyszowiaki shoes are sewn only in the town of Tyszowce. Tyszowiec is about 50 kilometers away. Cowhide shoes are very good, not only for frost, but for mud, for wet terrain, and they served this purpose. " In addition, the shoes fit both the left and right leg, and according to local legend, King Jagiełło himself ordered as many as 10,000 pairs of shoes, preparing to fight the Teutonic Knights. 

The son of the owner also organized a museum of the People's Republic of Poland here, which for us, remembering those times, became a sentimental journey to the past. As you can see, it is worth entering the farmhouse and it is not surprising that the place in 2017 was appreciated even by National Geographic, which recognized it as one of the wonders of Poland. There is a small inn and points with souvenirs and local products.
Address: Guciów 19, paid admission, free parking

Gorge in Guciów

Encouraged by the owner of the Homestead, whom we greet by the way, we walked through a little-known unique. A few hundred meters from the open-air museum there is a beautiful loess gorge, quite similar to those in Kazimierz Dolny or Sandomierz. If you are looking for a less popular alternative, not inferior to their beauty, we heartily recommend

Other things to do in and around the Park

• Church on the Water and Church Pond in Zwierzyniec
• Brewery in Zwierzyniec
• Wierzchowiny Tower - available free of charge, but does not offer spectacular views
• Breeding Center in Florianka - available for visiting in high season, you can get here by bike or on foot
• Florianka Forest Chamber - open in the off-Mondays season
• Tower in Józefów - available free of charge
• Quarry in Józefów - a vast area that is pleasant to walk around
• Kirkut in Józefów - located behind the quarry, it is fenced, but the gate is open
• The lagoon in Józefów - spills over in the centre of the town
• Cemetery in Sochy - the village was almost completely burned down by the Germans in 1943. It was a punishment for helping the Polish resistance movement. At least 181 people were killed. This is reminded by the local cemetery
• Chapel on the water in Górecko Kościelny -  its origin dates back to the 17th century
• A wonderful spring called "God's Tear" in Górecko Kościelny - everyone "who washes in this water in good faith will be free from all disease"
• Alley of old oaks in Górecko Kościelny - monumental oaks, the oldest of which is 5 centuries old

Park Attraction Map

See the best places marked on the map. This will make it easier for you to plan your route and explore the Park.

Trails in the Park

This fantastic place can be visited in many different ways. For hikers, as many as 13 cognitive paths have been prepared, including the path along the dune to the Echo ponds, the green path to Bukowa Góra, Biała Góra or the path to Piaseczna Góra. There are also other hiking trails and paths that can be used by cyclists or cross-country skiers, such as the one to the Pole's Hill, the one to Florianka or to Wojda.

You can also arrange a horse-drawn carriage ride from the local conservative horse breeding. You can also drive through the Park by car, but it will certainly be more interesting to kayak along the Wieprz River.

Visiting Roztocze Park

Entrance to the Roztocze National Park is free of charge. Tickets can be purchased, for example, at an IT point in Zwierzyniec or online. You can also use the car parks for a fee and visit the Educational and Museum Centre (open all year round every day except Mondays) and the Forest Chamber in Florianka.

Nature of Roztocze National Park

In the green world of Roztocze forests of fir boron and Carpathian beechwood, a large wealth of plant and animal species has found its home. Forests occupy 8,102 hectares, which constitutes about 95% of the area of the Park. As many as 400 monumental trees can be counted here.

Flora of the Park

Forest communities are created mainly by stands of the Carpathian beech forest, with beautifully gilded beech trees in autumn, and a green upland fir forest with fir, spruce or pine trees. The flora of the Park is rich. In the forests, you will meet over 900 species of vascular plants, including beautifully blooming bear garlic or rare orchids, including white-flowering swordfish or red grenadier, with intense pink flowers. The common eagle, whose spur is bent in the shape of an eagle's claw, is also interesting. We were fascinated by the fact that as many as 1,100 species of mushrooms can be found in the Park. In fact, they grew under our feet at almost every step when we traveled its paths in the autumn. The star in this regard has become a stargazer for us. A rare and endangered species from the Polish Red Book of Plants.

Fauna of the Park

The fauna is equally rich. More than 3,600 species of animals were counted in the Park, including typical forest animals. Large mammals in the Roztocze National Park include: deer, roe deer, wild boars, wolves, lynxes, foxes, badgers and martens. In the valley of the Wieprz River, beavers have settled in for good. Polish horses, descendants of tarpans, were also brought to the Park.

There are very interesting species of birds in the Park, such as the lesser spotted eagle, bumblebee, black stork or mountain lichen. The surrounding forests have also become a refuge for woodpeckers - green-gray, medium and white-backed. Reptiles are represented by lizards, zigzag viper, grasshopper, and even a rare mud turtle entered in the Polish Red Book of Animals. Among the amphibians, the most interesting specimens are: lowland toad, crested newt and tree frog. Of course, the world of insects is the richest. More than 2,000 species of beetles have been counted here.

RPN symbol

The symbol of the Park is the Polish horse. It is currently the only authentically native breed of Polish horses. The name was introduced by Prof. Tadeusz Vetulani, who contributed to the rescue of this descendant of wild tarpan. The breeding of Polish horses in the RPN began in 1982 and it was probably the first conservative breeding in the world. The Conservation Breeding Center with a stable is located in Florianka, but in addition, in the season these characteristic horses can be admired on the catwalks in Rybakówka in Zwierzyniec or in the Secretariat near Biała Góra.

And what is Roztocze?

The mite is a land of hills, stretching for 180 kilometers. It reaches from Kraśnik to Lviv. At the same time, it is extremely narrow, because at its widest point it is only 32 kilometers long. The local Park is therefore only a modest part of it. But very picturesque and beautiful, and at the same time extremely valuable. This is a very important form of nature protection, without which we would not be able to preserve nature in its current shape and diversity!

Walk through selected parks

Planning a visit to the RPN will certainly be helped by the "Walker", which you can download here. Here you will find many interesting ideas for excursions. The stroller also talks about other parks in Poland, such as Biebrzański,  Słowiński, Wigierski, Magurskior Świętokrzyski PN.

The article was written in cooperation with PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, which supports RPN.

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Practical information

The park is available from dawn to dusk.
You can only move along designated trails and paths

Educational and Museum Center RPN
ul. Plażowa 3, Zwierzyniec,
Open daily except Mondays: IV-X 9.00-17.00 (last entry at 16.00), XI-III 9.00-15.00 (last entry at 14.00)

RPN Forest Chamber in Florianka
Górecko Stare 105, Józefów
Open during the tourist season

Roztocze National Park - Tourist Information Point
ul. Plażowa 3a, Zwierzyniec
tel. 84/
677-20-25
www.roztoczanskipn.pl Open daily: IV-X 8.30-16.30, XI-III 8.30-15.00

What's worth seeing in the area?

You don't have to travel far to find more interesting places. Within a radius of 100 kilometers, there are many attractions waiting for you that will certainly enrich your stay Your trip with additional memories.

• Mites, distance: 0.8  km
• Zamość, distance: 23.5  km
• Sandomierz, distance: 86.4  km