Suwałki Region (Suwalszczyzna)

Suwałki Region is the furthest north-eastern corner of Poland, which is almost squeezed
between Belarus, Lithuania, and the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast. While the northern and
eastern borders are defined by Polish territory, it is marked off to the south by the Biebrza
River and to the west by the Rospuda Valley. What is noteworthy here is that when the Polish
name “Suwalszczyzna” started being used in the 19th century, it was the middle course of the
river Neman what established its northern and eastern borders. Today, this area has remained
like this on maps, but was divided into Polish and Lithuanian sides. The lakes in this region
are not only considered to be the most gorgeous and cleanest, but they also include some of
the deepest reservoirs of that kind in Poland. In the entire Central European lowlands, there is
no deeper lake than Lake Hancza. Suwałki Region is also a home of vast woods. The
Augustów Primeval Forest ranks among the largest compact forest complexes in Poland and,
together with the woodlands of Lithuania and Belarus, creates the largest complex of this
kind in lowland Europe. Even if the area of Suwałki is not large, being enclosed in a
rectangle with sides of 60 by 80 km, it would take many days, months, or even years to get to
know all the attractions and beauties of this corner of Poland.