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Puszcza Dulowska

Dulowa Forest

Puszcza Dulowska

Dulowa Tourist region: Oświęcim i okolice

It is a unique pearl on the natural map of Małopolska. The Dulowska Forest (Puszcza Dulowska) is a forest complex where you can see elk and observe unique plant species. It is an excellent place for walking, cycling and coming into close contact with nature.

The Dulowska Forest is the last surviving tract of what long ago was a huge primaeval forest that extended from the Przemsza River all the way to Kraków. The Dulowska Forest lies within the Tenczyński Landscape Park. It occupies a large part of the Krzeszowice Ditch and a section of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, and is bordered in the south by Tenczyński Ridge.

The Krzeszowice Ditch was formed by tectonic shifts in southern Poland during the Tertiary period The hitherto uniform plateau-like massif has collapsed by almost 500 m in places. The bottom of the trench has been filled with Quaternary sands and clays, making it difficult for water to permeate it. As a result, the area has always been a wetland and is fed by, among other things, water flowing down small streams from the surrounding hills. According to recent findings, this area is the source of the Chechło River, which is the border between the Silesian Upland and the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland.  Pstrużnik Creek marks the western boundary of the Krzeszowice Ditch.

The Dulowska Forest is divided in half by the Chechło River. The dry and sandy northern part is  dominated by pine-spruce forest. The humid, bog-filled southern part is full of rich and diverse plant communities wet riparian forests and black alder.,, Zbiorowiska roślinne są bogate i różnorodne. More than 50 protected species are here, such as the giant horsetail, spurge laurel, swordtail and marsh gentian. The fauna of the forest is also rich and diverse. A herd of elks has lived here since the 1970s, and  a large family of beavers can be found in the southern part. Those who are attentive and are very careful to not make noise might encounter a herd of deer, roe deer or wild boar. Among the birds here are lapwings, corncrakes, sparrowhawks, buzzards, and goshawks, while the aquatic habitats are home to mountain newts and stream lampreys.

The Dulowska Forest is the ideal place to take a breath and come into direct contact with nature. It is a place for cyclists, families with children and prams, and connoisseurs of rare fauna and flora. It is worth using the nature trail in Dulowa Forestry and marked hiking trails in the eastern part of the forest, as well as exploring the forest paths on your own.