Zabór Nature Reserve

The Zabór Nature Reserve is a forest nature reserve protecting a heavily waterlogged riparian forest between Miękinia and Zabór Wielki.

What the reserve protects

The reserve lies in the Silesian Lowland, in the Miękinia municipality, at an altitude of around 110 metres above sea level. It covers a flat, marshy area along the tributaries of the Czarna Struga. The dominant habitat is riparian forest with a rich plant composition of 139 species, with natural vegetation communities in the lower forest layers. The area lies within the Łęgi Odrzańskie Natura 2000 site.

Plants and animals

Plants growing in the reserve include black alder, pedunculate oak, downy birch, brittle willow, European frogbit, yellow iris and the protected marsh spurge. Among the animals found here are the grass snake, viviparous lizard, slow worm, European beaver, brown hare, roe deer, red deer, wild boar, brown long-eared bat, wryneck and treecreeper, with black stork and common crane nearby. The reserve was the only known site of the agile frog in the western part of the country, but the population probably disappeared after the 1997 flood.

History of protection

The area was already protected in 1941, when the regional German authorities established a reserve of 36.72 hectares here to preserve the waterlogged forests with a high share of black alder. After the war the reserve was re-established in 1959, this time covering 33.91 hectares. In 2011 the area was enlarged to 35.23 hectares, and there are plans to further expand the protected area to around 200 hectares.

Practical information

• Location: Miękinia municipality, Środa Śląska County, between Miękinia and Zabór Wielki
• Forest reserve, waterlogged terrain - be prepared for wet ground
• Visiting hours and rules are not confirmed in the available sources - worth checking before your visit