Łysy Młyn Forest Education Centre

Just 15 km from central Poznań, on the road to Biedrusko, a wooden watermill rebuilt the traditional way – without a single nail – stands beside a 3-hectare pond. Since July 2011 it has housed the Łysy Młyn Forest Education Centre of the Łopuchówko Forest District, with a forest laboratory, an exhibition on deadwood and a trail around the pond. It is surrounded on all sides by the Biedrusko military training area and a Natura 2000 site.

History: a mill with 15th-century roots

The forest district describes the building as a reconstruction of a 15th-century wooden watermill that keeps the original shape and structure. The rebuild was part of a project to protect the hermit beetle (Osmoderma eremita) in the Natura 2000 site PLH300001 Biedrusko, funded by the forest district and the European Economic Area grants. It won recognition too: in 2011 the centre was a laureate of the national Modernisation of the Year competition in the educational buildings category.

What to see

• Hermit Beetle Protection Centre – a permanent exhibition on the role of deadwood in the forest, with a model of the beetle and a film about it.
• Forest laboratory – 17 microscope stations, an oxygen meter, pH meter, decibel meter and specimens, plus an entomology workroom.
• Exhibition on Wojciech Bogusławski – the father of Polish theatre, born in nearby Glinno – and a display of fishing tools.
• 'Role of Water in Nature' trail – over 1.5 km with 12 stops, from the water cycle to the pond's amphibians, reptiles, spiders and insects.

Did you know

The pond is home to many species: they include among others the great crested newt, fire-bellied toad, tree frog, grass snake and even the European pond turtle. It is a fishing ground where swimming is completely banned. The hermit beetle, to which the centre is dedicated, is an umbrella species – where it lives, other insects and fungi that depend on decaying wood also thrive.

Tripto tips

Note: because of their poor condition, the boardwalks on the trail have been closed and removed, so the loop around the pond cannot be completed. Walk to the accessible boards and return the same way, without going around the barriers. The centre is open Mon–Fri 8:00–15:00; free educational sessions for groups must be booked in advance. The rooms are not adapted for visitors with limited mobility. The forest car park is about 300 m from the mill (over 30 spaces plus coach bays); you can also take bus 911 from Rondo Śródka or 348 from Osiedle Sobieskiego. Address: ul. Poznańska 2B, Biedrusko.