Łódź Hills Landscape Park

Łódź is associated with factories and flat plains, yet just beyond its north-eastern edge the land suddenly rises into ravines, beech woods and river springs. Łódź Hills Landscape Park protects the most upland-like scenery in central Poland and includes Łagiewniki Forest – one of the largest forests within city limits in Europe. It is ideal for cycling, long walks and trails with viewpoints, without leaving the city far behind.

The edge of the Łódź Hills

The park was established on 31 December 1996. It covers 11,580 ha plus a 3,083 ha buffer zone and lies between Łódź, Brzeziny and Stryków, across two towns and five rural municipalities. The highest point is the "Radary" hill near Dąbrowa (284 m above sea level), the lowest the Mrożyca valley at Niesułków (about 150 m). The hills drop in steps towards the north, to the great Warsaw–Berlin glacial valley, so many places offer wide panoramas – for example around Teolin, Borchówka, Dąbrowa, Janów and Plichtów.

A major watershed runs through the park, and the Bzura, Moszczenica, Mrożyca, Mroga and Miazga rivers all rise here. A curious detail from the planning stage: the motorway was originally to run almost along the floor of the Moszczenica valley. At the request of conservationists its route was adjusted, clearing the way for the park to be created.

Forests and nature reserves

Forest covers only about 28% of the park, but it is special. Łagiewniki Forest covers about 1,205 ha within Łódź – a remnant of the old Łódź Forest, dominated by oaks. Janinów Forest (about 557 ha) is the largest beech forest in central Poland. The most valuable areas are protected as nature reserves: Las Łagiewnicki, Struga Dobieszkowska, Parowy Janinowskie and Janinowski Starodrzew Bukowy.

Botanists have recorded 735 species of vascular plants here, and Łagiewniki Forest is home to a rare bumblebee species that is a relic of the Ice Age. The park also has 13 species of bats.

What to see

• Łagiewniki – a Franciscan monastery with the Church of St Anthony, built from 1701, and chapels in the forest. The monastery was founded in 1681.
• Arturówek – ponds on the Bzura in Łagiewniki Forest, with a kayak marina and recreation area.
• The hillfort at Stare Skoszewy – an early medieval site dated to the 6th–9th centuries.
• The manor house in Byszewy, a favourite haunt of the writer Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, and the palace-and-park complexes in Łagiewniki, Klęk and Dobieszków.
• Glacial erratics carried here by the Scandinavian ice sheet, some bearing plaques commemorating local events.

Tripto tip

For a first visit choose Łagiewniki Forest – it is reachable by public transport from central Łódź, and a walk from the Arturówek ponds to the monastery in Łagiewniki takes 2–3 hours. The hillier part of the park with Janinów Forest and the viewpoints is best explored by bike, along the waymarked cycle route through the park. The beech woods are at their best in May and October, and after rain the paths in the ravines can be muddy. The park is managed by the Łódź Voivodeship Landscape Parks Authority.