Royal Oaks Trail in Białowieża

In the Stara Białowieża forest tract, about a kilometre from Pogorzelce, wooden boardwalks lead between ancient oaks, each named after a Polish king, a Lithuanian grand duke or a queen. This is the Trail of the Royal Oaks and Lithuanian Dukes – a short educational path that tells the history of the Białowieża Forest, Poland and Lithuania from the 12th to the 18th century, tree by tree. The monarchs whose names the oaks carry came to the forest to hunt.

Where the first Białowieża stood

The setting is no accident. Traces of a 9th-century Slavic settlement have been found here, and according to tradition a hunting lodge of King Sigismund I the Old stood here, and earlier probably one of Grand Duke Vytautas. For the first two hundred years of its existence, Białowieża itself lay here – in 1596 the inhabitants, escaping the waterlogged ground, moved 5 km upriver to the site of today's village. An early medieval burial-mound site has also survived in the tract.

What to see

The path runs on wooden boardwalks among old oaks – sources speak of 25 or of several dozen trees, aged from 150 to 500 years. Boards beside the trees describe them and the rulers they are named after, and near the start the boardwalk crosses a former clearing. The oaks bear the names of Lithuanian and Polish rulers and their wives – look for the name plates and compare the girth of the trunks.

Tripto tip

The walk takes about half an hour – the path is under a kilometre long and easy. There is a large car park by the trail, suitable for coaches too. An entry fee may apply, so check access hours at the tourist information centre in Białowieża before you go. Combine the trail with the viewing tower in Pogorzelce and the European Bison Show Reserve on the road from Hajnówka, open daily 9:00–17:00.