Las Łagiewnicki Nature Reserve

Las Łagiewnicki Nature Reserve covers 69.86 hectares in the north-eastern part of Łódź, approximately 5 kilometres from the city centre. It is a fragment of Las Łagiewnicki, recognised as Europe's largest urban forest complex, spanning 1205 hectares, and simultaneously part of Wyżyny Łódzkie Landscape Park.

When the reserve was established

The reserve was created in 1996 under a regulation published in the Monitor Polski [Official Journal]. The protection aims to preserve natural forest phytocenoses, that is plant communities shaped without major human intervention, together with their accompanying fauna.

Protected vegetation

280 species of vascular plants have been documented in the reserve. Nine of them are subject to strict protection, including common foxglove, celandine, orchid species and common ivy growing on old trees. This diversity results from a long period in which the forest developed without felling and regular forest management.

Natural monuments

Two trees recognised as natural monuments grow in the reserve. The first is a sessile oak with a trunk circumference of 540 centimetres. The second is a black alder, divided at the base into three trunks with circumferences of 150, 151 and 153 centimetres. Both trees testify to the age and natural character of the forest stand here.

Fauna and place within Las Łagiewnicki

The reserve is a refuge primarily for insects and birds, which find conditions here that are difficult to recreate in younger, transformed forests. As part of Wyżyny Łódzkie Landscape Park, it is subject to additional landscape protection, covering the entire surrounding forest complex.

Visiting rules

Las Łagiewnicki itself is accessible on foot, by bicycle and for people using wheelchairs, with access from Łagiewnickiej or Świętokrzyskiej street. Entry to the reserve for scientific and educational purposes requires the consent of the Regional Nature Conservator, which distinguishes it from the open forest paths accessible throughout the forest.

Practical information

• Address: Łagiewnicka 305, 91-509 Łódź
• Access: on foot, by bicycle or public transport, entrance from Łagiewnickiej street
• What to expect: natural old-growth forest, marked reserve boundaries, no tourist infrastructure inside
• Entry to the reserve for scientific purposes requires consent from the Regional Nature Conservator; it is worth checking this before your visit