The best cycling routes in Rezerwat Starożyn

The Augustów Roundup Victims Memorial is located near the village of Okółek, in the heart of the Augustów Forest. According to witnesses, this is where a temporary camp was located, where the NKVD held local residents before execution. The symbolic installation consists of a statue of Christ the Sorrowful, a memorial bell, and a cross, creating a space for reflection and prayer. The Augustów Roundup of July 1945 is considered the largest unsolved crime against Poles since World War II, and the new memorial allows for tribute to the victims and perpetuates the memory of the tragic events.

Mikaszówka is more than just a lock. The Church of St. Mary Magdalene and the adjacent park commemorating the Augustów Roundup are also worth visiting.

The Paniewo Lock is the ninth lock along the 61st km of the Biebrza River and the only two-chamber lock on the Augustów Canal in Poland. The difference in elevation between Lake Paniewo and Lake Krzywe is 6.3 m.

In 1999, John Paul II made the longest pilgrimage to his homeland, lasting almost 2 weeks. On the way, he rested in the Suwałki region. He stayed in the Camaldolese Monastery in Wigry and the surrounding area for 3 days. Interestingly, during his stay, John Paul II went to Leszczewo and unexpectedly visited the Milewski family. This route is now known as the papal route. The next day, he reached Augustów from where he sailed to Studzieniczna.

In July 1945, Red Army units, with the help of the Polish Army and officers and collaborators of the Security Office, carried out a large-scale pacification action in the Augustów Forest and its surroundings, referred to as the Augustów Roundup. On the Soviet side, units of the 50th Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front, the Internal Troops of the NKVD and officers of the military counterintelligence "SMERSH" participated in the operation. Officers of the Public Security Office, the Citizens' Militia and local informants supported the Soviets' actions as guides and translators, and also assisted in interrogations. Soviet units searched the forests and villages, arresting those suspected of contacts with Polish independence partisans. We do not know the exact date of the beginning or end of the operation - it is most often placed between July 12 and 28. In total, several thousand people were detained, some of them imprisoned and subjected to brutal interrogation.

Perkuć – a water-peat-forest reserve, established in 1970 on an area of 64.50 ha and enlarged to 209.82 ha in 1985. The reserve includes the forest-overgrowing Kruglak lake and the surrounding peat bogs and forests. The peat bog and water vegetation is very rich, including a number of rare and endangered plant species. Among the forest communities, pine forest and mixed forest groups dominate, less frequently hazel-spruce mixed forests and oak-hornbeam forests. Alder forests and spruce peat bog forests can be found on small areas. https://plaska.bialystok.lasy.gov.pl/rezerwaty-przyrody

charming ride along Lake Mikaszewo; the bike trail is on the other side, but this road is much nicer

Gorczyca Lock - It is located on the 57th kilometer of the canal, in the village of the same name, on the Orlewo Canal. There is a bridge over the lock, so there is no problem in finding it.