Janowskie Forests

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.

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.

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.