Lasy Janowskie

One of the largest forest complexes in Poland. Full of wonderful cycling and walking paths. With plenty of beautiful corners and attractions.

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Welcome to Janów Lubelski!

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Location

The Janów Forest Complex is located on the border of the Lublin and Subcarpathian Voivodeships. Its western edge reaches the Vistula River (the Małopolska Gorge of the Vistula – the most beautiful section of the entire river), and it extends further east, merging with the Solska Forest near Biłgoraj. It is a vast sea of forests stretching from the Vistula River to the border with Ukraine.

Unique nature

The landscape of the forests is dominated by high, sandy, glacially-formed dunes covered with forest. They reach heights of several meters. In between, we often encounter wetland areas: peat bogs and the floodplains of forest streams. Moreover, within the forests, we have several large complexes of fish ponds.

Pristine character

The forests are mainly composed of pine monocultures. But we also encounter firs, beeches, birches, oaks, and alders here. In many places, the forest has a pristine character – mainly in wetland areas where logging and planting are difficult. Rare and interesting plants include several species of orchids and carnivorous sundews. In autumn, there are plenty of mushrooms, and in the swamps, we encounter fruiting cranberries.

Watch animals

For birdwatchers, the ponds are a paradise (mainly around Malińca and in the Imielty Ług Nature Reserve). Herons, ducks, black storks, white-tailed eagles, and buzzards. In the Janowskie Forests, capercaillies breed and raise young. It is also worth mentioning the refuge of the Biłgoraj horse in Szklarnia. Here, a herd of several horses lives in natural conditions. They are descendants of the tarpan – wild forest horses.

Places worth visiting

The Janowskie Forests are a Landscape Park. You don't have to stick to the trails here; you can pick mushrooms and other gifts of the forest. There are plenty of hiking and cycling trails, shelters, forest parking lots, and educational paths. While wandering through the Janowskie Forests, it is worth taking an interest in their history. For years, they formed part of the Zamoyski Ordination – a powerful state within a state. In the estates belonging to the Zamoyski family, special attention was paid not only to forestry but also to nature conservation.

After those times, a network of former ordination groves and foresters' lodges and remains of the forest railway survived in the forests. The tracks no longer exist, but the embankments along which they ran are still visible: bridges over rivers remain, and a small railway open-air museum has been organized in Janów at the foresters' settlement.

In the footsteps of partisans

During the wars, the Janowskie Forests were a refuge for insurgents and partisans. An interesting place is the Kruczek hermitage, a site of partisan gatherings, currently decorated with appropriate monuments and shrines. It is worth visiting Porytowe Wzgórze, the site of the largest partisan battle that took place on Polish territory. In June 1944, German troops (30,000) fought against the united partisan forces of all organizations (Home Army, People's Army, National Student Union, Soviet units – 3,000). The battle is commemorated by a monumental monument and a series of paths running along partisan lines of defense.