Nature

The Augustów Region landscape has been shaped by glaciation. The Baltic glaciation left a vast glacial plain here that was overgrown with forests. The water from the melting glacier furrowed gutters that filled with water forming gutter lakes.

The Augustów Forest

The Augustów Forest surrounds Augustów from three sides and within its borders there are several lakes with varied shorelines, sandy beaches, and often high escarpments. The Augustów Forest is a huge forest complex with an area of approximately 160 thousand ha (on the Polish side it covers an area of over 114 thousand ha). It is dominated by coniferous trees: pine and spruce, but birch, maple, hornbeam, linden, ash and alder can also be found. There are many tree stands of old trees, some of which are over 120 years old, with trees reaching 30-40m in height.

The Augustów Forest is rich in mushrooms, berries, wild strawberries and raspberries. The protected plants include: the wolf bark, Turk's cap lily, pasque-flowers, Lycopodium, yew and many others. The Augustów forest is also home to many animals: deer, roe-deer, elk, wild boar, black grouse, fox, beavers, and marten.

The Augustów Lakes

Most lakes in Augustów are shaped like a gutter, which means that they are relatively small in terms of area, yet quite deep. They are fed by rivers and springs and, to a lesser extent, by rainwater. The water in Augustów lakes is cleaner than in other regions of the country. This is mostly due to its rich vegetation.

In the administrative borders of Augustów, there are 9 lakes:

Necko Lake - with an area of 400 ha, is a glacial ribbon lake. It has a fairly well developed shoreline, a majority (70%) is forested, with numerous sandy beaches. The maximum depth is 25m. The name of the lake derives from the Yotvingian word: methis meaning “to throw”.

Białe Lake - with an area of 476,6 ha, it is also called Białe Augustowskie or Krechowieckie. The shoreline is well developed with numerous bays (Orzechówka, Tartaczna, Wierszowiec) and peninsulas (Pień, Dąbek, Lisi Ogon). The banks are mostly high and dry, overgrown with pine trees. On the lake, there are islands. The maximum depth reaches up to 30m.

Sajno Lake - with an area of 522,5 ha, is the largest lake in the group of Augustów lakes. On the east, Sajno is connected by an isthmus with Sajenek Lake and further with a smaller lake, Sajenek Pond. The Bystry Canal has an outlet in the northern part of the lake, and it connects the lake with Augustów. The maximum depth is 27m. The name of the lake probably derives from the Yotvingian word: soia, meaning the river or the river waters (a strong current runs through the centre of the lake). The lake is a quiet zone.

Sajenek Lake - with an area of 68.2 ha, is a glacial lake. Its maximum depth is 12.6m. The length of shoreline is 3.13 km. It is connected to Sajno Lake.

Sajenek Pond – with an area of 35.8 ha

Studzieniczne Lake - with an area of 251 ha, is a glacial lake with a highly developed shoreline. The maximum depth is 30.5 meters. On Studzieniczne Lake, there are the islands of Lipowek, Janowy Grąd (the largest), and Brzozowy Grąd (the smallest - 0.08 acres)- which is a floral reserve. The lake is subject to a quiet zone.

Rospuda Lake - with an area of 104 ha, is connected with Necko Lake. The Rospuda River flows into it. The shoreline is expanded. The banks are high, covered 100% by forest. The bottom is poorly differentiated, the deepest point is 10.5m. The lake includes islands with a total area of 2 ha.

Wojciech Pond - with an area of 22.6 ha, and a maximum depth of up to 3.1m, is a glacial lake with a varied shoreline.

Reserves

Brzozowy Grąd (Birch Forest) Nature Reserve - located on the island in Studzieniczne Lake. The lady's slipper orchid, a rare plant of the orchid family is under protection here. The area of the reserve is only 0.08 ha.

Kalejty Lake Nature Reserve - an area of 740.7 ha located in the parishes of Nowinka and Płaska in the western part of the Augustów Forest. The natural habitats of Długie Augustowskie Lake are protected.

Kozi Rynek (Goat Market) Nature Reserve - is located in the parish of Sztabin and occupies total area of 146.63 ha. It is a forest reserve designed to protect the remains of natural stands of hornbeam and riparian forest and to protect the habitat of moose and black storks. Within the reserve there are graves of insurgents of the January Uprising of 1863.

Stara Ruda (Old Ore) Nature Reserve - located on the border of Augustów municipality and Płaska parish, between the Sajenko Pond and the Augustów Canal. The subject of protection are the springs of the Rudawka River (surrounded by an ash and alder riparian forest) and a fragment of peat bog forests. Its total area is 83.15 ha.

Mały Borek (Small Forest) Nature Reserve - Nature Forest Reserve is located in the Płaska parish its area is 90.53 ha. The object of protection is the preservation of types of a pine forest with additions of spruce, characteristic to the Augustów Forest for scientific and educational reasons. In the southern part of the reserve, there are also smaller patches of marshy and alder forests, in the central part- a peat bog, overgrown with a dwarf pine swamp forest. There are mainstays and mating areas of the grouse. It has been a reserve since 2004 and is included in the Special Protection Areas for Birds - Nature 2000.

Perkuć Nature Reserve - located in the Płaska parish, covers an area of 209.82 ha. The protected species in the reserve is the spruce and pine forest with its original characteristics, typical for the Augustów Forest. Other less common forms of forest are the hazel-spruce mixed forest, which grows on slopes, and a riparian forest (spruce with an admixture of maple, linden and aspen). The shallow, overgrown Kruglak Lake is located within the reserve.

Kuriańskie Bagno (Marsh) Nature Reserve - a nature reserve located in the south-eastern part of the Augustów Forest, in the parishes of Płaska and Sztabin. The object of protection is an area of unique geomorphology and natural, rare forest communities and habitats of many rare and protected plants and animals. Area of 1713,6 ha.

Starożyn Nature Reserve - an area of 294.4 ha located in the Płaska parish. The subjects of protection are the different types of Augustów Forest stands: the most common hazel-spruce mixed forest, low riparian forest, oak and spruce mixed forest, and alder forest.