Rogalin Landscape Park

Rogalin Landscape Park (Rogaliński Park Krajobrazowy; Rogalin is pronounced "ro-GAH-leen") protects a stretch of the Warta River valley about 12 miles south of Poznań, in western Poland. It is famous for one of Europe's largest groups of centuries-old English oaks, standing alone in riverside meadows, and for dozens of oxbow lakes that fill with morning mist in spring and fall. It is an easy half-day escape from Poznań for walking, cycling or kayaking, and pairs naturally with a visit to the Raczyński Palace in Rogalin.

The Rogalin oaks

The park was created in 1997 and covers 12,682.7 hectares (about 49 square miles) across four municipalities. Its main treasures are more than 1,400 ancient oaks; a 2007–2008 survey counted over 960 with trunks more than 3 meters around. The best known are three oaks named Lech, Czech and Rus after the legendary founders of the Polish, Czech and Rus' peoples. They grow in the English-style park beside the palace; Rus measures about 926 cm (30 feet) around, while Czech is now dead. The old trees are a stronghold of the great capricorn beetle, a rare protected species.

The valley also holds 35 permanent oxbow lakes and attracts 206 recorded bird species, including cranes, black storks, lesser spotted eagles, kites and white-tailed eagles. Beavers were reintroduced in the 1980s, and the area is part of the EU's Natura 2000 network.

A little history

People have lived by a ford across the Warta here since about the 9th century BC. In the 17th century, after wars and epidemics, landowners brought in Dutch and German settlers known as Olęders, whose overgrown Protestant cemeteries still dot the valley. Prussian engineers straightened the river in the 19th century, and the Rogalin oaks have been legally protected since 1948.

Things to do

• Walk an educational trail. The Beaver Trail (Bobrowy Szlak) at Czmoniec offers loops of 2.6 miles (about 2.5 hours), 1.6 miles and 1.3 miles (about 1 hour, good for kids) through meadows, oxbows and woods. The Old Trees trail starts at the palace parking lot and runs 3.8 miles to the oaks in the valley.
• Cycle or hike. There are 4 marked hiking routes and 11 cycling routes, and the Way of St. James pilgrim route crosses the park.
• Paddle the Warta. A kayak route has landings at Rogalinek, Radzewice and Jaszkowo.
• Watch the spring floods from viewpoints at Świątniki, Trzykolne Młyny and the Rogalinek bridge.

Tickets and practical tips (as of October 2026)

The landscape park itself is open countryside with free access year-round. The palace garden and park in Rogalin, where Lech, Czech and Rus stand, is ticketed: PLN 5 standard, PLN 2 reduced, PLN 1 for students aged 7–26, and free with any palace exhibition ticket. Since March 2024 the only entrance is through the palace courtyard. Valley paths can be muddy or flooded after thaw and rain, so wear waterproof boots, and stay on marked routes during the bird breeding season.

How to get there

Poznań has an international airport and fast trains from Warsaw and Berlin. From the city, Rogalin is roughly a 30-minute drive. Without a car, take a regional train to Mosina or Pecna, where marked trails begin. Parking is available beside the palace in Rogalin and at a forest lot in Czmoniec for the Beaver Trail.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, especially at dawn in spring or fall, when gnarled oaks rise out of fog over the meadows. Combine it with the Raczyński Palace and its mausoleum, modeled on the Roman temple at Nîmes, and with nearby Kórnik Castle.