The Augustów Wilderness
The Augustów Wilderness is a large forest complex located in the podlaskie region, as well as in Lithuania and Belarus. The surface of the entire wilderness is approximately 160.000 hectares, out of which 114.000 is located within the borders of Poland. At the area of the Augustów Wilderness, tourists can visit the Wigry National Park.
In the east, the Augustów Wilderness is connected to the forests in Lithuania and Belarus, creating a forest area with the surfaced of 250.000-310.000 hectares.
The land relief, soils and water relations at the area of the Augustów Wilderness were shaped by a Scandinavian ice sheet, mostly during the last glaciation (80.000-12.000 years ago).
The north-western part of the wilderness, mostly around lake Wigry, is occupied by a well-sculpted, hilly or wavy area. The height differences over the space of several dozens of meters are usually between 10 and 20 meters, but sometimes they might be more than 30 meters.
The north-western part of the wilderness, covered with order sands and clays with numerous lakes, has the most diverse sculpture and more fertile soils. The southern and central part of the wilderness has a flat character and is covered with sander sands and barren podsol soils.
The area of the Polish part of the Lithuanian Lake District, at which the Augustów Wilderness is located, is one of the coldest regions of the lowland part of Poland. The characteristic of the region’s climate is based on the measurements of the weather stations in Suwałki and Sejny.