Tourism sector

The oldest and most famous is Białowieża National Park – a place which makes a trip back to prehistory possible. In the park, visitors can experience what a true deciduous primaeval forest, which covered most of Europe hundreds of years ago, is like. In addition to wolves and lynxes, the forest has the largest population of European bison (also known as wisent) living in the wild. The European bison has become a symbol of the park, and indeed the whole region.

Narew National Park is called ’the Polish Amazonia’. It is famous for its unique system of swamps, marshes, channels and old riverbeds of the river Narew. The few rivers in the world that are similar to the Narew include: the Amazon in South America, the Okavango in Africa, the Saskatchewan in Canada and the Ob in Siberia.

Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing”, is a practice that originated in Japan, where as early as the 1980s walking in the woods was promoted to prevent and treat diseases of affluence. It has been gaining popularity worldwide ever since. Is there a better place for this sort of therapy than walks in the extensive
woodlands of the region, such as Białowieska, Augustowska and Knyszyńska Forests?

Enthusiasts of more active forms of leisure will also have plenty to choose from. The longest stretch of the Green Velo Eastern Bicycle Route is in Podlaskie. The project links five voivodeships of Eastern Poland. Nearly 600 km of the route is in Podlaskie Voivodeship, allowing you to discover uniquely beautiful places and gain unforgettable experiences.

The Podlaskie Voivodeship was for centuries a frontier country, a meeting place for different cultures, nationalities and religions. This heritage has been preserved to this day. It is reflected in the architecture, religious beliefs, unique cuisine, and traditions handed down from generation to generation. Important Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Muslim and Judaist religious sites can be found in the region, including the former Camaldolese monastery by Lake Wigry, the Holy Mountain of Grabarka – a key site for Eastern Orthodox believers, the oldest Polish mosque in Kruszyniany, and the second largest Great Synagogue in Poland, located in Tykocin.