Bieszczady National Park

Listen first. Up here, above the last of the trees, the wind moves through tall grass with a long, dry hiss. There are no engines and no voices, only the grass and perhaps the call of a bird far below. Under your boots the path is a mix of packed earth and loose stone, worn smooth by many hikers. The light is wide and open, because nothing stands between you and the sky. Welcome to Bieszczady National Park, in the far southeastern corner of Poland.

This is one of the largest national parks in the country. It was created in 1973 and has grown several times since then. The park sits where Poland meets Slovakia and Ukraine, and its mountains are part of the Eastern Carpathians. The Carpathians are the long arc of mountains that curves across Central and Eastern Europe. Here they are not sharp and rocky like the Alps. Instead they roll in long, rounded ridges, one behind another, like waves frozen in green.

The open grasslands on those ridgetops have a special name in Polish — połoniny. They are high mountain meadows that sit above the forest. And here is the first surprise. In most mountains, the trees climb much higher before they give up. In Bieszczady, the forest stops unusually low. Scientists still discuss the reasons — strong winds, harsh winters, and perhaps old grazing by herders. Whatever the cause, the result is a landscape that feels far higher and wilder than its modest altitude.

The highest point in the Polish part of these mountains is Tarnica, at 1,346 metres. That is not tall by world standards. But on a clear day, the view from its summit opens across ridge after ridge, into Ukraine and Slovakia. Many walkers also love the long meadows of Połonina Caryńska and Połonina Wetlińska. On these ridges you can walk for hours along the open crest, with the land falling away on both sides.

Now look down the slopes, below the grass, and you will see the forest. Much of it is beech, with fir and sycamore mixed in. Some of these woods have grown with very little human disturbance for a very long time. In 2021, parts of the park became part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that protects the ancient and primeval beech forests of Europe. Walk under these trees and you will notice the smooth grey bark, the deep shade, and the fallen trunks left to rot slowly back into the soil.

That dead wood matters. It feeds fungi, beetles, woodpeckers, and countless small creatures. And the larger animals here are the kind most of Europe lost long ago. Brown bears live in these mountains. So do wolves and lynx. The wildcat hunts in the forest edges. And then there is the European bison — the heaviest land animal in Europe. Bison were brought back to Bieszczady in the twentieth century, and today they roam freely in the region.

You are very unlikely to meet a bear on a busy trail. These animals usually avoid people, and most visitors only see tracks or droppings. Still, the park asks visitors to stay on marked paths, keep noise moderate, and never leave food behind. Rangers work hard to keep wild animals wild. If you are lucky, you may hear a red deer stag in autumn. Its deep, rough call carries a long way across the valleys.

But this was not always an empty land. Before the Second World War, these valleys were full of villages. Many belonged to the Boykos, a Rusyn people of the Carpathians — mountain farmers and herders with their own dialect, songs, and wooden churches. After the war, the borders changed, and the populations were forcibly moved. In 1947, a deportation known as Operation Vistula removed many of the remaining inhabitants. Whole villages disappeared.

This is the second surprise, and it changes how you see the park. The wilderness around you is partly a wilderness that returned. As you walk, look for signs of the people who lived here. An old apple or pear tree growing alone in a meadow may mark a lost orchard. A line of stones may be the foundation of a church. In some places you can still find small cemeteries, with tilted crosses half hidden in the grass. Quiet places like these ask you to slow down.

The park also protects another resource that is rare in modern Europe — real darkness. Bieszczady is part of a dark sky reserve, created to protect the night from light pollution. On a clear, moonless night, the Milky Way stretches across the sky as a pale band. Far from city glow, you may see more stars here than almost anywhere else in Poland. If you stay overnight nearby, step outside after dark and let your eyes adjust for a few minutes.

Most people enter the park from small villages such as Ustrzyki Górne, Wetlina, or Wołosate. These places are simple, with guesthouses, mountain shelters, and small bars serving hearty food after a long walk. The trails are well marked with coloured stripes painted on trees and rocks. Weather changes quickly on the open ridges. A warm, sunny morning can turn into cold wind and fog by the afternoon, so carry a warm layer and rain protection even in summer.

Each season gives the park a different face. In late spring, the meadows turn bright green and fill with wildflowers. In summer, the ridges are busiest, and the grass grows tall and golden. Autumn is when many visitors fall in love with Bieszczady. The beech forests turn copper, orange, and red, and the grass on the połoniny becomes rust coloured. Winter brings deep snow and silence, and the trails become a serious challenge for experienced walkers only.

So take a moment now, wherever you are standing. Feel the wind on your face. Look at the ridges as they fade into blue in the distance, one line softer than the next. Somewhere below you, in the beech shade, a bison may be resting, and a wolf may be sleeping through the day. And somewhere in the grass, an old apple tree still marks a home that once stood here. As you walk on, watch the trail edges closely. This land has more to show anyone who moves slowly.