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www.mazurskipark.pl
The Mazury Landscape Park has an area of 53,655 ha, where 51% is covered by forests and 30% by surface waters. The most significant body of water in this region is Poland's biggest lake - Sniardwy (11,000 ha). Due to impressive views the lake Luknajno is encompassed with a few forms of protecion - it is considered as a nature reserve, a biosphere reserve, an area listed in the Ramsar convention, and an area of special birds protection within the framework of the programme Nature 2000. The Krutynia river is popular with canoeists as one of the most picturesque river routes. The flora of the park includes nearly 900 species of vascular plants with rarities, such as the pasque flower, the small pasque flower, the martagon lily, the red helleborine, the twinflower, the Greek valerian, the round-leaf sundew, the creeping sedge, the marsh tea, the white beaksedge, four kinds of the cottongrass - the tussock, slender, broad-leafted and narrow-leafted cottongrass, and finally extremely rare orchids - the common twayblade and the bog twayblade. Water plant species include: the white sea rose, the small sea rose, the yellow water lily and the common bladdewort. The most common mammals in the park are deer, moose, wolfes, bobcats, otters and beavers. What is worth mentioning at this point are two herds of Polish Little Horses which live in the wild in the forest under the guidance of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Popielno. The most remarkable representatives of avifauna are: the sea eagle, the lesser spotted eagle, the osprey, the boreal owl, the eagle owl, the bittern, the little bittern, the black stork, the red-crested pochard, the spotted crake, the kingfisher, the hazel grouse, the black grouse, and many others. The area of the park has been incorporated in the special birds protection zone referred to as 'Nature 2000 - Puszcza Piska'. In the park there are also numerous nature reserves and nature monuments, such as the collection of oaks near the historic cone shelling factory in Ruciane, the nearby (1,5 km farther) pine known as 'The Lira Pine', as well as 'The Royal Pine' and 'The Oak upon Mukre' near the village of Zgon and 'The Couple in Love' near Krutyn. What is worth mentioning in this region are the historic sites related to the Philippones in the village of Wojnowo, the renowned Polish poet K. I. Galczynski Museum in Pranie and the popular writer Ernst Wiechert Memorial Room in the forester's lodge in Pierslawek.
 Management seat: Krutyn 66, 11-710 Piecki, tel. +48 89 742 14 05
The Reserves of the Mazury Landscape Park
1. Krutynia is a forest and landscape reserve, the area of 273. 12 ha, established to protect foliate and mixed woods, various, post-glacial landscape of Krutynskie Lake and up-stream of the Krutynia River. You can meet the liverwort there as well as the anemone, the sealwort, the lily of the valley, the horsetail, and many more. The Krutynia has clear shallow waters there, so it is possible to observe the sponge (Euspongilla lacustris) and red water weed (Hildebrandtia rivularis), which grows on the river stones. You can also see the eagle, woodpecker, jay, swan and goosander. There are natural sites of the lych owl and goatsucker in the reserve. During the wintertime you can see swans and otters feeding on frozen Krutynskie Lake.
See also: Boat trips along the Krutynia River
2. Zakret is a forest and peat bog reserve, the area of 105.8 ha. It consists of mixed forest (the pine and oak) covering morainic hills, with three lakes within surrounded by high bogs with relict flora. You can observe the process of forest lake overgrow and creation of a bog and floating islands. The reserve is well known as an excellent place for didactical purpose. You can find there: the marsh tea (Ledum palustre), the cotton grass (Eripphorum vaginatum, angustifolium), the cranberry. Some golden-eyes, eagles and lych owls have their nests there too.
3. Krolewska Sosna Reserve, the area of 103.76 ha, located by Mokre Lake, mainly consisting of pines, with some oaks, birches and spruces. There are three pools colonized by rare high peat bog relict plants. The attractions of the reserve are the 300 year died pine (3.6 m round the trunk) and the oak tree called Karol Mallek's oak or Dab nad Mukrem (5.4m round the trunk). There are the primrose (Primula), the pink (Dianthus arenarius), the pasque-flower (Pulsatilla) in the ground cover and the hop (Humulus lupulus) creeping on alders.
4. Strzalowo Reserve, the area of 14.12 ha, established for the protection of primeval mixed forests of Puszcza Piska. The pines growing there are 33 m high. There is a variety of protected plants in the ground cover, some one hundred kinds, amongst them there are the lily (Lilium martagon), mezereon (Daphne mezerum), lily of the valley, liverwort, anemone.
5. Pierwos Reserve, the area of 605.48 ha, protecting various, forest, peat bog and water ecosystems. It includes shallow Pierwos Lake, Pierwos and Gardynka Streams and the end of the Krutynia River. There occur old forest stand with some oaks of over 3m round the trunk and the unique flora such as Paludella or fauna, for instance, eagles, columbines, eagle owls, wolves. In autumn and winter, you can observe Cinculus cinculus, a rare bird of highland steams, near Pierwos Stream.
6. Czaplisko - Lawny Lasek Reserve is for the bird protection, the area of 7.62 ha, 200-year-old pine woods with heron colonies.
7. Czapliniec Reserve, the area of 17.10 ha, 200-year-old pine woods with heron colonies.
8. Jezioro Luknajno Reserve, the area 709.97 ha. It is the reserve of biosphere (MaB) included into world's natural heritage list in 1977 and under RAMSAR convention in 1978. In summer and autumn, up to 2500 swans live there. There have been observed 175 kinds of birds of which 95 kinds have their nest in the reserve. The duck (Netta rufina) of the Caspian Sea has its hatch there. Other birds include the eagle, harrier (Circus aeruginosus), heron, cormorant, gull, grebe, water hen, duck (Spatula clypeata, Anas acuta), bearded titmouse.
9. Warnolty Lake Reserve. It is an ornithological and landscape reserve, the area of 373.3 ha. It protects the shallow, overgrowing lake, a part of Sniardwy Lake. It is the place where many water and mud birds including swans, herons, water hens, ducks, grebes have their hatch; additionally it is a good place for predacious birds such as eagles and kites. The lake has well-developed water flora, mainly the reed, which goes extensively in the lake. The lake is surrounded by sedges, willows and alders in some parts.
10. Lisiny Lake Reserve, area 15.78 ha, consisting of the overgrowing lake within woods, some rare water and marsh plants (Cladium mariscus, Najas flexilis). There is also a variety of peat moss and the bed has 4 m mud layer.
11. Krutynia – also Krutynia Dolna Reserve, the area of 969.33 ha, down-stream of the Krutynia River including Malinowko, Gardynskie, Dluzec and Smolak lakes with the nearest forest, peat bogs and meadows. The Krutynia River flowing through the reserve is 2 -7 m wide and 30 cm deep. The current is weak and the river has many meanders. The reserve protects the unique flora and fauna, amongst them are 10 kinds of orchids, twayblades (Listera cordata), Planthera bifolia, lilies (Lilium martagorn), sundews (Drosera), Utricularia, globeflowers (Trollius europaeus), pasqueflowers, anemones, bellflowers (Campanula boloniensis), sedges, cotton grasses, Scheuchzeria palustris, Potamogeton gramineus. The eagle, osprey, eagle owl, crane, kingfisher, corncrake have their nests there.
THE RESERVES NEARBY THE PARK:
Nidzkie Lake Reserve is a landscape reserve, the area of 2934.71 ha. It protects the tunnel valley lake and the surrounings with old pine stands. In some parts old oak and linden trees can be found. The kite and heron occur there. Somtimes you may see the lynx.
Pogubie Wielkie Lake is an ornithological reserve, the area of 691.73 ha. It protects hatch sites of many water and mud birds. It is also a spowning lake of fish. The lake is shallow, overgrowing with the reed, the deph of some 1 m. In the northern part, there is the island with high woods.
Gazwa Reserve, the area of 204.76 ha, it covers high, continental peat bog topped
with some valuable species such as the marsh tea (Ledum palustre),
cotton grass (Eripphorum vaginatum), Drosera anglica, Drosera rotundifolia.
Drozdowo Pool, a peat bog reserve, the area of 9.93 ha. Established to protect the peat bog with colonies of low, middle and high bog rare and near-extinct plants. You can see scrub birches there, and only there you can see Pedicularis palustris. Others are Trichophorum alpinum, Eriphorum gracile, Heleoharis pauciflora.
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