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WONDERS OF NATURE
Bialowieza Forest. Nature miracle
In the Brest region of Belarus, on the very border with Poland, there is a unique forest cabinet of curiosities, bearing a beautiful ancient name - Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
The name of the huge forest was given by the watchtower - vezha - in the city of Kamenets, which lies at the southern border of the forest. Back in the XNUMXth century, Prince Vladimir Vasilkovich laid it at the confluence of the Luna and Belaya rivers. The original princely residence - Brest, destroyed by the Tatars, was restored, but again and again subjected to ruin. The capital city on the Bug, which controlled the important trade route from Kyiv along the Dnieper and Pripyat, then along the Bug and Vistula to the shores of the Baltic Sea, stood in a very lively place. So Prince Vladimir decided to choose a quieter place for his residence north of Brest, in the wilderness of forests. In 1276, the architect Olekso on the high bank of Lesnaya cut down a century-old forest and erected a thirty-meter tower with underground passages, narrow stairs in the thickness of the walls. It was painted white with lime and surrounded by a rampart and a moat. Since then, Belaya Vezha has stood in Kamenets, after which the surrounding forests began to be called. From those epic times, Belovezhskaya Pushcha brought to us its rare natural treasures, although under the onslaught of the stormy waves of history, of course, much has changed in the ancient forest. In particular, the last war drew a border across Pushcha, and now it is divided between the two countries. Of the one hundred and thirty thousand hectares of the protected green massif, seventy-five thousand went to Belarus, and the rest went to Poland. For everyone who visits these centuries-old untouched forest thickets, they make an indelible impression. "It is difficult for a person who has never been in Belovezhskaya Pushcha to imagine the majestic, peculiar charm of this primeval forest in many places. It does not have the monotonous, harsh, monotonous color of the dense northern forest. It is majestic, wild, bears the imprint of decrepitude, and at the same time is infinitely interesting for the variety of forest landscapes found in it. Driving through the forest, you do not get tired of looking and admiring," wrote the Russian forestry scientist G. Kartsev at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. The first distinguishing feature of Belovezhskaya Pushcha is its gigantic size. Imagine a dense forest the size of one and a half Moscow, and in all this space - not a single paved road, not a single village. Forest, forest and forest for many tens of kilometers - this is what amazes a person who first gets into the Pushcha. This forest surprises with its extraordinary diversity, the continuous alternation of various tree species, and the size of the trees. Here are fifty-meter old spruces, overgrown with gray lichen. And a little further away you see a whole array of huge forty-meter pines, the trunks of which blaze in the sun, like polished copper. Dumpy mighty oaks settled at a distance, some of which are already five hundred years old. Moss glades alternate with impenetrable spruce thickets and rich berry forests; the thick resinous aroma of pine needles, mixed with mushroom smells, fills the air. Then the path runs out into a sun-drenched forest clearing, where you are greeted by lush herbs and the bright variegation of countless meadow flowers, and then dives into the gloomy black forest, where hornbeam and ash, linden and maple, alder and aspen are intertwined with their crowns in a continuous tent, obscuring the sunlight. The most beautiful thing in Pushcha is probably the emerald-transparent, curly, cheerful greenery of hornbeams. Passing along the clearing, you can clearly see how a dense canopy of the branches of these trees is powerfully intertwined, and on both sides the path is surrounded by a dense wall of spruce and deciduous forest, which in some places completely blocks the sunlight. Among the young green shoots, thick-set oaks rise like mighty giants. Some of them cannot be grasped even by three adult men. There is silence in the forest. Only from time to time a small bird flies from branch to branch, a squirrel crunches on a twig, or suddenly a gust of wind blows over the tops of the trees, and silence reigns again. The aspen leaves do not rustle, the foliage of motionless giant oaks burns with gold, the slender dark green pyramids of firs froze. It seems that life in the forest has stopped. But it only seems. The forest is full of life, you just need to be able to see it. You need to stay in Belovezhskaya Pushcha for several days, feel it, understand its language, and then it will reveal many of its secrets to the traveler, show him herself in all her glory. Forest inhabitants can often be found in clearings, clearings or narrow winding forest paths. Here, on the edge of the clearing, two roe deer appeared from under the ground. Slender, graceful, they froze in place for a few moments, listening to the forest rustles. Then, as if on cue, they simultaneously disappeared into the roadside thickets. With a crash and a roar, breaking branches and deadwood, a handsome elk, frightened by someone, raced behind the bushes. Silently going out to the bank of the stream, the deer proudly raised its regional head with branched horns. Sensitive ears alertly catch the sounds coming from the thicket. Somewhere with its secret paths, a herd of wild boars makes its way through the bushes and a wind-blown herd. At night, a raccoon dog, recently brought into the forest, crawls out of its hole. She has taken root in a new place and feels at home here. And on the trees, the enemy of squirrels and birds, the nimble marten, is in charge, the lynx lies in wait for prey. The world of animals and birds, amphibians and reptiles of the protected forest is very rich and diverse. Almost three hundred species of animals live here, including about two hundred species of birds. However, for most people the words: "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" are associated primarily with bison. Indeed, this forest giant, reaching three and a half meters in length and two meters in height, is a kind of symbol of the forest, the uncrowned king of the reserved Belarusian forest. Here he is standing on the edge of the forest, his head bowed, he stands important and motionless, as if thinking about something very serious and difficult. But, having heard the voices of people, he reluctantly turns his head and sternly looks around the clearing. At first glance, the bison is a rather peaceful and clumsy animal. Slowly, as if reluctantly, he moves from place to place, meticulously choosing food. In winter, these are the bark and tips of aspen or willow branches, in spring - the buds of trees and shrubs, in summer - grass and leaves. Having sated, the bison stands in one place for a long time, chewing food. He walks slowly, nodding his head to the beat, easily overcoming the most dense thickets. On the move, he never turns his head, as if ignoring everything around him. But when the bison is angry, he becomes fast and agile. Almost without a run, the forest giant jumps over a two-meter fence, easily runs at a gallop. Enraged, the beast shakes its head, digs the ground with its hooves and horns, or uproots large trees. Lowering his head, he rushes at his enemy or rival. Here is how one of the eyewitnesses of such a fight describes the duel between bison: “Somehow the rotting fence of the enclosure collapsed, and the old bison Borus penetrated into the neighboring section, where another equally huge male named Berenzon lived. First, the bison exchanged menacing glances, walking alone near bowing their mighty, heavy heads, both snorted furiously and dug the ground with their short front legs and horns. Then, with incredible speed, they rushed towards each other. A terrible noise and crackling went through the forest. It was terrible to look at the battle of the forest giants. It lasted nine hours. The animals were surrounded by the huntsmen of the forest guard, but the furious animals did not see or hear anything. People kindled fires, ran around them, made noise, shouted, shot into the air, launched rockets into the night sky to scare the animals and disperse them, but it was all in vain. Nothing could calm or frighten rivals. A fire brigade was called from the village of Belovezha. Firefighters began to pour cold water on the bison from hoses, but this did not help either. Hour after hour went by. It seemed that the forces of the animals are equal and none of them can become a winner. But an absurd accident decided the fate of Berenzon. Retreating at the end of the ninth hour of the battle from the pressure of the enraged Borus, he hit a split stump with his back foot. Stretching the leg was impossible. He could only stand still and defend himself. Borus took advantage of the favorable situation. He jumped aside and rushed at the enemy with renewed vigor. He turned his head and courageously met the attack. But the blow came from the side. Berenzon could not turn his whole body towards the enemy: his leg, pinched in a stump, interfered. The next moment, Borus ripped his side with his horns." Once bison were found in the forests of many European countries. But the ambition of big game hunters knew no bounds, and soon these strong, beautiful and proud animals disappeared from most of the European forests. Now every bison on our planet is on a personal record. And Belovezhskaya Pushcha is one of the few places in the world where these ancient animals live in freedom. Pusher in some sense was lucky. This is one of the rare corners on Earth where a kind of protected status has been maintained for many centuries: after all, it has always been a hunting ground for crowned persons - first appanage princes, then Polish kings, and then Russian sovereigns. And only two world wars in the XNUMXth century did not spare the reserved forests. Of course, royal hunts, or rather, raids with many participants, beaters and dogs, also caused damage to the animal world of the Pushcha. But still, before the First World War, more than seven hundred bison still remained here, not to mention other animals. And by 1921, there was no longer a single bison in Belovezhskaya Pushcha: they were all either killed (rifles and machine guns - these are not royal bows and spears for you! ..), or taken to Germany. Poland, which then owned the protected forest, bought several bison in a German zoo and began to re-create the Bialowieza bison herd. But then another war arrived. Again automatic and machine-gun bursts sounded in the thickets of the forest. After the victorious spring of 1945, Belovezhskaya Pushcha and the few surviving bison were divided between Poland and Belarus. The protected regime was preserved on both sides of the border, and the number of rare animals began to grow gradually. If in 1946 there were only five bison in the Belarusian part of the reserve, then twenty years later there were already eighty. Some of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha forest giants now live in the Caucasian, Chatkal and other reserves. And at home, in the forest, they live in freedom, graze in groups or in pairs in the forest, going many kilometers deep into the thicket, and sometimes even "violating the border." But in winter, when it is difficult to feed, the animals get out to the cordons of the reserve, where they are waiting for feeders with hay. The wars caused considerable damage to the unique forest area, but more than half a century of undisturbed peace allowed nature to heal battle wounds, and now the protected Belovezhskaya Pushcha is both an amazing natural monument and a serious scientific laboratory of wildlife. In addition to bison, here they managed to recreate, it seemed, forest wild horses-tarpans, completely destroyed in the Middle Ages. Scientists drew attention to the fact that many peasant horses in these places had distinct features of tarpans. By painstaking long-term crossing of horses suitable for external data, it was possible to bring out again a unique extinct breed. In the 1960s, a scientific and tourist complex was built in Pushcha with laboratories, a magnificent museum of nature and a cozy hotel. For travelers who do not have time for a long excursion into the depths of protected forests, there are enclosures near the museum where bison, forest tarpans, deer, roe deer and wild boars live. And for a special fee, you can get a license and wander with a gun in the former royal hunting grounds. However, most tourists come to Belovezhskaya Pushcha, of course, not for hunting. I just want to see with my own eyes the only island of ancient mixed forests in the entire space from the Urals to the English Channel, which have retained their appearance since the time of Frederick Barbarossa and Yuri Dolgoruky. Belarus is better than other Eastern European countries in preserving its forest treasures, especially in the western part of the country. And it is no coincidence that the symbol of this Slavic republic for all who love nature has become a green pearl on the right bank of the Bug - an amazing and beautiful land with an ancient name: Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Author: B.Wagner
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