Drawno National Park

Infobox_protected_area
name = Drawno National Park
native_name = Drawieński Park Narodowy
iucn_category = II

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caption = Ostrowieckie lake
location = North-west Poland
area = 113.42 km²
established = 1990
governing_body = Ministry of the Environment

Drawno National Park ( _pl. Drawieński Park Narodowy) is located in north-western Poland, on the border of Greater Poland, Lubusz and West Pomeranian Voivodeships. The Park is a part of the huge Drawska Forest (Puszcza Drawska), which lies on the vast Drawska Plain. It was created in 1990 and initially covered 86.91 km². Later, it was enlarged to convert|113.42|km2|sqmi of which forests account for 96.14 km² (3.68 km² is designated as a strictly protected area), and water bodies cover 9.37 km².

Geology

Although the park is located on Drawsk Plain, it does not necessarily mean that it is flat. There are picturesque and deep valleys of the Drawa and Plociczna rivers as well as numerous water channels, lakes and peat-bogs. In some places the height can vary by 30 meters within 500 meters. This is quite remarkable for a plain. The highest hill (106 m) is located near the Martew lake, in northern part of the Park. The soil in the park is of poor quality and it mainly consists of sand.

Protection needs

One of main reasons for the creation of the park was the need for to protect valuable areas along the Drawa and Plocziczna rivers. The Drawa creates interesting valleys and hollows and 40 km of the river is within the borders of the park. The river flows at a quite fast pace, which makes it similar to rivers located in mountains. The Drawa kayaking trail is one of the most picturesque in Poland. Lakes include the meromictic lake Czarne (3.7 km²).

Flora

There are several interesting species of flora in Drawski National Park, a mong them 210 species of mushrooms, and oaks up to 400 years old. The oldest trees are strictly protected in the Radecin Preserve. Trees exceeding 81 years old cover 40% of the forested area of the park.

Fauna

Animal life is very rich. There are 129 species of birds, 40 species of mammals, 7 species of reptiles and 13 species of amphibians. The good quality of water in the lakes and rivers enables various species of fish to flourish.

The area of the Park was regarded as unfit for human settlement in the past when it was located on the border between Poland and Western Pomerania (later Prussia) and only since the 17th century have its forests been settled by humans.

The park is crossed by four attractive tourist trails, for both walking and kayaking. There are campsites and - within some distance - hotels. The number of visiting tourists increases year by year.

The park has its headquarters in the town of Drawno, in Choszczno County.

External links

* [http://www.lkp.org.pl/dpn/ Drawno National Park]