A biosphere reserve in the old Kresy Borderland listed by UNESCO.
Roztocze is a truly enchanting region. In the ancient beech forests there are ravines and gorges. Waterfalls send ripples along the rivers and streams. Coniferous swamps and an alder forest slumber at the source of the Tanew River. The peat bog stands in silence. The king of the forest, a white fallow deer is dashing between the trees. Is he hiding from a lynx?
The Roztocze, one of the most beautiful geographical regions in Europe, delineates the drainage divide between the catchment areas of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. It extends from Lviv in Ukraine all the way to Kraśnik, passing through the Lubaczów area in the north-eastern part of the Podkarpackie region. The part located within the Podkarpackie is called the Eastern Roztocze, and comprises an area of nearly 220 square kilometres with greatly diverse landscapes, and many valleys and ravines cutting through the highland. The natural resources of the area include healing mineral water as well as therapeutic mud acquired from the ancient peat bogs.
You can encounter endangered plant and animal species, including the insectivorous plants sundews and a stately moose. There are also some truly unique places. In the forest in Nowiny Horynieckie you can come across an ancient Temple of the Sun. In Monasterz, you will be amazed by the Devil's Stone, on the Monastyr Hill you will find the remains of St. Brother Albert's hermitage, and on Mount Wielki Dział (390 m above sea level) you will see a mysterious World War II bunker - part of the Molotov Line fortifications, whose other relics are scattered throughout the Roztocze region. There are also lonely tserkvas, abandoned cemeteries and intriguing white stone crosses within the forests. They remind us of the former inhabitants of this area and the beauty of the multicultural borderland.
Because of its unique flora and fauna as well as the rare historical monuments, the entire Roztocze highland, including the part located in the Podkarpackie region, has been designated by the UNESCO as a transboundary biosphere reserve with an exceptional natural, cultural and landscape heritage. You can explore the area on foot, by bicycle or on horseback, following the well-marked trails and safe forest roads.
The forest trails in the Roztocze are waiting to show you the secrets of the area.