Podlachia (Podlasie) is located in the far north-east of Poland, bordering Belarus. The regional capital is Białystok. For centuries, the region has been shaped by multiple cultures: Alongside the Polish majority, the Belarusian minority lives here, Orthodox churches stand beside Catholic ones, and until World War II, Jews constituted a large part of the population in many towns.
For travellers, Podlachia is primarily a destination for nature experiences. In the south-east lies the Białowieża Forest with its European bison, north-west of Białystok is the vast marsh and river valley of the Biebrza, home to Poland's largest national park. In between are small towns like Tykocin on the Narew, whose history is closely tied to the region's Jewish heritage.
The starting point for most journeys is Białystok, Podlachia's only major city. With the baroque Branicki Palace, Kościuszko Market, and the Orthodox St. Nicholas Cathedral, the city reveals its tumultuous history. Ludwik Zamenhof, the founder of Esperanto, was born here in 1859. The city is connected to Warsaw by the S8 expressway and rail.
Southeast of Białystok, on the border with Belarus, lies the Białowieża National Park, founded in 1932 and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. The forest is considered Europe's last primeval lowland forest. The European bison show enclosure and the Palace Park in Białowieża village are accessible free of charge or for an entrance fee, while the former strict protection zone is only accessible with a guide.
Northwest of Białystok stretches the Biebrza Valley, home to the Biebrza National Park, founded in 1993 and, at around 592 square kilometers, Poland's largest national park. It is a Ramsar site and a habitat for elk and rare breeding birds such as the aquatic warbler. On the Narew River lies the small town of Tykocin, with its Great Synagogue dating from 1642 and a baroque market square. The regional cuisine includes Babka ziemniaczana and Kartacze, and an annual Babka cooking championship takes place in nearby Supraśl.
Białystok is the capital of Podlaskie Voivodeship and, with approximately 290,000 inhabitants, its only large city. It lies northeast of Warsaw (Warszawa), not far from the border with Belarus.
Discover the most important sights and attractions
Attraction
Tykocin
The small town on the Narew west of Białystok was about half Jewish until World War II. The Great Synagogue, dating from 1642, today houses the Museum of Jewish Culture. In the summer of 1941, around 1,400 Jewish inhabitants were murdered in the forests near Łopuchowo. The market square was redesigned in Baroque style after a 1656 fire; on it stands the monument of Hetman Stefan Czarniecki, commissioned in 1763 by Jan Klemens Branicki. Branicki also had the Holy Trinity Church built from 1742 to 1749; ruins of Sigismund Augustus's Castle are preserved.
Founded 1993, Poland's largest national park spans 592 sq km, protecting extensive Biebrza Valley fens. It's a Ramsar site since 1995. Home to around 400 elk and rare breeding birds like the Aquatic Warbler, Ruff, and Great Snipe. Explore by canoe on the Biebrza, on approx. 100 km of cycle paths, and nature trails like Czerwone Bagno. Administration is in Osowiec-Twierdza.
