Handout - Białowieża Forest

1. Where does the name of the Białowieża Forest come from ?

The name come from the Polish village of Białowieża located in the middle of the forest.
This village take its name from the white wooden hunting-manor established by king
Władysław Jagiełło.

2. Where is the Białowieża Forest located and what is its area ?

The Białowieża Forest is located in the north-east part of Poland. It is situated on the
border beetwen Poland and Belarus. The whole forest is around 125,000 hectares, of
which 67,000 ha in Belarus and 58,000 ha in Poland.

3. Name at least 5 animals and 5 plants that you can see in the Białowieża Forest.

Animals: Plants:
 Oak
 Red deer
 Hornbeam
 European bison
 Spruce
 Lynx
 Pine
 Wolf
 Spreading bellflower
 Otter
 Marsh orchid
 Black woodpecker
 Kingcup
 Eagle
 Wood anemone
 Owl

4. Name the most famous tree in the forest and explain why it has such a name.
The most famous tree in Białowieża Forest is the Jagiełło Oak. It blew down
in 1974 when it was 550cm of circumference and 39m of height. It is said
that king Władysław Jagiełło rested beneath it before the Battle of Grunwald
in 1410, and that is why the tree has such a name.

5. Which animal is the most popular in the forest and why ?

The most popular animal in the Białowieża Forest is European bison because
this species has been saved from extinction there. Currently, there are
approximately 700 specimens in the Białowieża Forest and only 3000
specimens in the whole world. Moreover this animal is called the King of the
Forest and it is the symbol of the Białowieża Forest.

6. When and by whom the last European bison was killed ?

The extermination started right after the World War I, when groups of
demoralized German soldiers poached in Białowieża Forest. The last
European bison was killed in 1919.

7. What part of the forest and when was it included on UNESCO’s World Heritage
List ?
It is the Białowieża National Park which was included on UNESCO’s World
Heritage List in 1979, (Belarussian part in 1992). Białowieża National Park is
the oldest National Park in Poland and one of the oldest in the world. It
covers the central part of the Białowieża Forest.

Difficult words
 Poach – uprawiać kłusownictwo
 Specimen – okaz, osobnik
 Dispute – kłótnia, spór
 Logging – wycinka drzew
 Hornbeam – grab
 Spruce – świerk
 Pine – sosna
 Kingcup – kaczeniec
 Wood anemone – zawilec gajowy