Bialowieza is situated almost on the border with Belarus, 85 km southeast of Bialystok, in the eastern part of the central Vistula River valley. Spreading along some 3 km of the southern boundary of the Bialowieza National Park, the village has a population of less than 2,000 inhabitants.

The local climate, as in the whole of Podlasie Voivodship, is harsher than in other parts of Poland, strongly influenced as it is by continental air masses. Bialowieza lies in one of the cooler regions of the country, with an average annual air temperature of 7° Centigrade. Due to these climatic conditions, the snow cover can remain for over three months.

The genesis of the name ‘Bialowieza’ is a matter of some debate, although the supposition is that a white tower once stood somewhere in the village, and hence the name (‘biala wieza’ means ‘white tower’ in Polish). It is commonly believed that the name was first mentioned by that great Polish historian and chronicle writer, Jan Dlugosz, in his chronicle from the second half of the 15th century. He relates that in the winter of 1409, King Wladyslaw Jagiello went to Bialowieza and hunted there for... ( plus >>)