Torfowisko pod Węglińcem Nature Reserve

Torfowisko pod Węglińcem Nature Reserve is the smallest nature reserve in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, covering just 1.35 hectares of forested peat bog, about 350 metres north of the Węgliniec railway station, in Zgorzelec County.

Why it was established

The protected area was created in 1959 to preserve a transitional peat bog with its original vegetation and a relict site of the marsh pine Pinus x rhaetica, now regarded as a subspecies of the mountain pine. Seven species are under species protection here, including the mountain pine, marsh Labrador tea and two species of peat moss. The reserve lies within two Natura 2000 areas: the habitat site of the Lower Silesian Forest Wilderness and the bird site of the Lower Silesian Forest.

State of the peat bog

Since the reserve was established, its vegetation has changed markedly due to a falling groundwater level. In the 1950s, 208 marsh pines were counted here, and by the end of the century their number had fallen to 108, including ten dead trees. The bog forest has turned into a moist forest with only a few remaining bog species. The peat bog is also threatened by the invasive Douglas spiraea.

Practical information

• Location: Węgliniec municipality, Zgorzelec County, about 350 m north of Węgliniec railway station.
• Getting there: the reserve area is not directly open to visitors; a 25-kilometre educational trail through the Zgorzelec Forest runs nearby instead.
• What to see: a peat bog with a relict site of marsh pine, viewed from the surrounding educational trail, not from inside.