Torfowisko pod Zieleńcem Nature Reserve

The "Torfowisko pod Zieleńcem" nature reserve is a peatland nature reserve in the Bystrzyckie Mountains, in the Central Sudetes, in the Szczytna municipality in Kłodzko County. It protects one of the few fragments of raised bog in Poland, with vegetation characteristic of a much colder climate.

Origin and location

The reserve was established in 1954 by an order of the Minister of Forestry and the Timber Industry. It lies on the western slope of Bieściec, at an altitude of about 760 metres above sea level, on the watershed between the Baltic Sea and North Sea drainage basins. The peat thickness exceeds 8 metres in places, and the deposit is estimated to be about 7,600 years old, making it a likely relic of the Ice Age. The bog consists of two basins, known as Topielisko and Czarne Bagno.

Plants and animals

The main subject of protection is the dwarf birch, a relict species typical of a much colder climate. Also growing here are mountain pine, bog cranberry, bog bilberry, sedges, mosses and peat mosses, among them the round-leaved sundew and the great sundew. In the reserve and its surroundings you may encounter black grouse, capercaillie and black stork, and among the insects the Cranberry Fritillary, the Cranberry Blue and dragonflies, including the White-faced Darter and the Northern and Alpine Emeralds.

Nearby

Nearby lies Duszniki-Zdrój, where it is worth seeing the Museum of Papermaking.

Visiting

A nature trail runs through the reserve along the green tourist trail, equipped with information boards. This is the only permitted way to visit, as the bog area beyond the marked route is dangerous and under protection.

Practical information

• Locality: Szczytna, Kłodzko County, the area by Zieleniec in the Bystrzyckie Mountains.
• Getting there: the reserve lies along the green tourist trail leading through the Zieleniec area.
• What to expect: a walk along a nature trail with information boards through a raised bog, without leaving the marked route.