Things to do in Podlachia

Wigry National Park

Wigry

240–480 min

Wigry National Park, established in 1989 in the southern Suwałki region, is one of Poland's larger national parks — it covers some 151 km2 of lakeland, forests and peat bogs spread around Lake Wigry. The lake itself, reaching 73 m in depth…

Branicki Palace, Białystok

Białystok

60–120 min

The Branicki Palace in Białystok — the "Versailles of Podlasie" — is the best-preserved magnate residence of the Saxon era and one of the finest Baroque achievements in this part of Europe. Its origins go back to the 16th century, but its…

Narew National Park

Kruszewo

The Narew does not flow here in a single channel: it spreads into dozens of threads winding through the reeds — an anastomosing river, a pattern with no parallel in Europe, which is why it is nicknamed the "Polish Amazon". Narew National P…

Kruszyniany Mosque

Kruszyniany

The oldest surviving Tatar mosque in Poland stands in a village that **John III Sobieski** granted to Tatar warriors in the 17th century as a reward for their service in the war against the Turks. The wooden building, on a **10 × 13 m** pl…

Bohoniki Mosque

Bohoniki

In the Podlaskie village of Bohoniki stands one of the oldest active mosques in Poland — a wooden mosque built most probably in **1873**, in a village inhabited since the 17th century by descendants of Tatar settlers. Next to it lies the m…

Supraśl Orthodox Monastery

Supraśl

The monastery founded in **1501** by Aleksander Chodkiewicz, voivode of Nowogrudok, is Supraśl's foremost monument and one of the key centres of Orthodox Christianity in Poland. King Alexander Jagiellon confirmed the foundation in **1504**…

Osowiec-Twierdza

Osowiec-Twierdza

A tsarist fortress built in the second half of the **19th century** in the Biebrza marshes, designed according to the Russian school of fortification with a fully developed polygonal system. In the early 20th century it ranked among the mo…

St Nicholas Orthodox Church in Białystok

Białystok

20–45 min · Free entry

The Cathedral of St Nicholas the Wonderworker on Lipowa Street is Białystok’s main Orthodox church and one of the defining landmarks of the city centre. The present masonry building was erected in 1843–1846 in the late Byzantine style. ##…

Tykocin Synagogue

Tykocin

The **Great Synagogue in Tykocin** is a masonry house of prayer from the first half of the **17th century** — today the second largest and one of the oldest surviving synagogues in Poland. Its square structure, measuring **18 by 18 metres*…

St. Roch's Church in Białystok

Białystok

The modernist **St. Roch's Basilica** on the hill of the same name in Białystok was built as a **monument to the Regaining of Independence**. Construction began in **1927** to a design by **Oskar Sosnowski**, chosen in a repeated competiti…

Suwałki Landscape Park

Czajewszczyzna

The oldest landscape park in Poland — established on **12 January 1976**, covering **6,337 ha** of Suwałki moraine hills, 24 lakes and boulder fields. This is post-glacial relief in its purest form: moraines, kames and tunnel valleys laid…

Orthodox Holy Spirit church in Białystok

Białystok

The Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Białystok’s Wysoki Stoczek district is one of the two largest Orthodox churches in Poland. Its monumental two-level form stands out with five domes and a bright concrete-and-brick exterior. This is…

Puszcza Knyszyńska Landscape Park

Sokołda

Puszcza Knyszyńska stretches north of Białystok, right beyond the city limits — and although it sits next to a conurbation, 78 percent of its area is still forest. The Knyszyn Forest Landscape Park, named after Prof. Witold Sławiński, was…

Puszcza Knyszyńska Landscape Park

Jałówka

**The second-largest forest complex of the Podlaskie Lowland after the Białowieża Forest: around 1,050 sq km of woods on terminal moraine north of Białystok, cut through by the Supraśl river. Bison have lived here since 1974, and researche…

Lake Serwy in the Augustów Forest

Serwy

180–480 min · Free entry

Lake Serwy lies in the Augustów Forest, about 15 kilometres north-east of Augustów. Its broad water surface, wooded shores and depth of up to 42 metres make it suitable for a full day of recreation, kayaking and swimming at designated area…

Orthodox church of the Holy Trinity in Hajnówka

Hajnówka

A body of interpenetrating concrete shells crowned by a dome, seating around **5,000 worshippers**, this is one of the largest Orthodox churches in Poland. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity stands in Hajnówka — the gateway to the Białowież…

Red Marsh Nature Reserve

Wólka Piaseczna

Czerwone Bagno, or Red Marsh, near Grzędy is one of the most valuable wetland areas in Biebrza National Park. The strict protection zone preserves peatlands, swamp forest and a mosaic of habitats supporting moose and many bird species. Thi…

Lake Necko in Augustów

Augustów

120–360 min · Free entry

Lake Necko is why Augustów feels like both a town and a resort. The urban shore offers a beach, promenades, rentals and the Radio Three Pier, while the link with the Netta River and Augustów Canal opens a route into a larger network of lak…

Drohiczyn Cathedral

Drohiczyn

The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Drohiczyn is the principal church of the Diocese of Drohiczyn. The Baroque church stands on Kościelna Street in the historic centre. A visit combines sacred art with the story of Drohiczyn, a former rel…

Church of the Lord's Resurrection in Białystok

Białystok

This Roman Catholic church in Białystok is a two-level church at 5 Archbishop Romuald Jałbrzykowski Street, in the Wysoki Stoczek district. It stands out for its references to Vilnius Baroque and its memorial purpose. ## History and archit…

Podlaskie Museum in Białystok

Białystok

The Podlaskie Museum in Białystok is a regional museum whose main building is the historic Town Hall at 10 Kościuszki Square. It presents the history and art of Podlaskie in one of the city centre’s characteristic buildings. The museum als…