Forests above the Upper Liswarta Landscape Park

The Forests above the Upper Liswarta Landscape Park covers the valley of the upper Liswarta in the Lubliniec Forests, in the northern part of the Silesian Voivodeship. It was established in December 1998. The park covers about 387 square kilometres, and with its buffer zone about 511.

Where the park lies and what its landscape is like

The park extends across the counties of Częstochowa, Kłobuck and Lubliniec, in twelve municipalities, among them Koszęcin, Herby, Kochanowice and Woźniki. About 60 per cent of the area is forest, dominated by pine, 30 per cent is farmland, and 10 per cent ponds and watercourses. Elevations reach about 335 metres above sea level. Typical features are fish ponds, peat bogs and spring areas. The park's headquarters are in Kalina.

Reserves and animals

There are five nature reserves in the park: Cisy nad Liswartą, Cisy w Łebkach, Łęg nad Młynówką, Rajchowa Góra and Kochanowicki Grąd. The first two protect natural stands of common yew, and Kochanowicki Grąd, covering 26.42 hectares, includes an oak old-growth stand more than a hundred years old.

The park is home to, among others, beavers, otters, deer, the black stork, the white-tailed eagle and the kingfisher. Beaver dams can be found on the forest streams.

Trails and paths

The Józef Lompa Trail runs through the park. There are also nature education paths: Na Brzozę, Kierzkowskie Bagna, Cisy nad Liswartą, Zborowskie and Diabelski Kamień. Among the historic sites is a wooden church from 1611 in Boronów, and near the park stands the Palace in Kochanowice.

Practical information

• The park is extensive; it is worth choosing a starting point according to the path you want to walk. Information about the park is provided by the Complex of Landscape Parks of the Silesian Voivodeship (zpk.com.pl).
• In the reserves there are restrictions on movement; keep to the marked paths.