Suwalszczyzna — the coldest and cleanest corner of Poland with the country's deepest lake, the monastery at Wigry and the viaducts at Stańczyki.
A post-glacial land of lakes and hills in the far north-east of Poland — the former Camaldolese monastery on a peninsula in Lake Wigry, Lake Hańcza, the deepest in the country, Poland's first landscape park with Cisowa Góra hill, the viewpoints at Smolniki, kayaking on the Czarna Hańcza, the monumental viaducts at Stańczyki and Suwałki, the regional capital.
What to know before you go
The Suwałki region is the far north-eastern corner of Poland, in Podlaskie — a raw, post-glacial land of lakes, moraines and erratic boulders, known for the lowest temperatures in the country and exceptionally clean air. The ice sheet shaped the landscape: it left deep lake troughs, oval hills and stones scattered everywhere. It is one of the most thinly populated and best-preserved regions in Poland.
The heart of the southern part of the region is Wigry National Park, with the sprawling, winding Lake Wigry and the former Camaldolese monastery at Wigry on a peninsula — a Baroque complex where John Paul II stayed in 1999. The Czarna Hańcza, the region's most popular kayaking river, flows out of Wigry and links the park with the Augustów Canal.
To the north lies the Suwałki Landscape Park — the first landscape park in Poland, created in 1976. It protects the most sculpted stretch of the region: the conical Cisowa Góra, known as the „Suwałki Fuji”, the boulder fields and Lake Hańcza (108.5 m) — the deepest lake in Poland and in the whole Central European Lowland.
The Suwałki region also holds the famous viewpoints at Smolniki above the post-glacial lakes, the monumental railway viaducts at Stańczyki on the edge of the Romincka Forest, and Suwałki — the regional capital and the birthplace of the poet Maria Konopnicka. The region is well served by the S61 (Via Baltica) from Warsaw towards Lithuania.
Places you should not miss
The most important sights of the region, each with its own guide — how to get there, when to go, practical info.
The former Camaldolese monastery at Wigry
The Baroque Camaldolese monastery complex on a peninsula in Lake Wigry, with a church, hermitages and the Papal Apartments from John Paul II's visit.
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Lake Wigry and Wigry National Park
A sprawling, winding lake with bays and islands at the heart of Wigry National Park — boat trips, kayaks, beavers and nature trails.
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Lake Hańcza — the deepest in Poland
The deepest lake in Poland (108.5 m) in the Suwałki Landscape Park, with stony, steep shores and crystal-clear water — a divers' paradise.
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The Suwałki Landscape Park and Cisowa Góra
Poland's first landscape park (1976) — post-glacial hills, boulder fields and the conical Cisowa Góra, known as the „Suwałki Fuji”.
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Smolniki — the viewpoints
The famous viewing terraces above the post-glacial lakes and hills of the Suwałki Landscape Park — one of the finest landscapes in Poland.
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The Czarna Hańcza — kayak trips
The most famous kayak route in the Suwałki region — a winding, picturesque river from Wigry through the national park to the Augustów Canal.
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The viaducts at Stańczyki
Two monumental 36-metre railway viaducts on the edge of the Romincka Forest, known as the „aqueducts of the Romincka Forest”.
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Suwałki — the regional capital
The capital of the Suwałki region and the birthplace of Maria Konopnicka — the neoclassical layout of ul. Kościuszki, the co-cathedral and the Czarna Hańcza valley.
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List or submit a property →Suwalszczyzna in every season
The lakes and the forests of the national park wake up, the first kayak trips set off on the Czarna Hańcza and there are few visitors. It can still be cold — this is the chilliest region in Poland.
The height of the season — swimming and kayaking on Wigry and Hańcza, trips down the Czarna Hańcza, the views from Smolniki and Cisowa Góra. Clean air and cool nights.
Golden woods above the lakes, clear air and long views from the post-glacial hills. The best season for photographs and for silence.
Frost and white — the Suwałki region breaks Poland's cold records. The monastery at Wigry and the town of Suwałki are open all year, and the snow-covered hills look like a fairy tale.
How to get there and what to know
- Getting there
- On the S61 (Via Baltica) from Warsaw and Łomża to Suwałki; then the DK8 and local roads to Wigry, Smolniki, Lake Hańcza and Stańczyki
- A base for trips
- Suwałki (the regional capital), Stary Folwark and Gawrych Ruda on Lake Wigry, Smolniki and the area around Lake Hańcza in the north
- Wigry National Park
- Selected trails and buildings are ticketed; boats cross Lake Wigry and kayaks can be hired
- Kayaking
- The Czarna Hańcza — the flagship route from Wigry through the national park to the Augustów Canal; hire at Stary Folwark and Gawrych Ruda
- The Suwałki Landscape Park
- Poland's first landscape park (1976); Cisowa Góra, the boulder fields and Lake Hańcza — viewpoints and trails
- The character of the region
- Post-glacial lakes and hills, clean air, the lowest temperatures in Poland and few people
How far to the sights
Approximate straight-line distances from the centre of Suwalszczyzna — calculated from real coordinates. By road it is often further.
- Suwałki — the regional capital
- ~0 m from the centre Suwalszczyzna (as the crow flies)
- The Czarna Hańcza — kayak trips
- ~12 km from the centre Suwalszczyzna (as the crow flies)
- Lake Wigry and Wigry National Park
- ~12 km from the centre Suwalszczyzna (as the crow flies)
- The former Camaldolese monastery at Wigry
- ~13 km from the centre Suwalszczyzna (as the crow flies)
- The Suwałki Landscape Park and Cisowa Góra
- ~18 km from the centre Suwalszczyzna (as the crow flies)
- Lake Hańcza — the deepest in Poland
- ~20 km from the centre Suwalszczyzna (as the crow flies)
- The viaducts at Stańczyki
- ~22 km from the centre Suwalszczyzna (as the crow flies)
- Smolniki — the viewpoints
- ~24 km from the centre Suwalszczyzna (as the crow flies)
Where Suwalszczyzna is
Frequently asked questions — Suwalszczyzna
What is the deepest lake in Poland?
What is worth seeing in the Suwałki region?
Where is the best place to stay in the Suwałki region?
How do I get to the Suwałki region?
Do you run a property in Suwalszczyzna?
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