The Kampinos national park is situated in Poland’s Central Mazovian Lowland, between the left bank of the Vistula river and the Bzura river, just beyond the north-western outskirts of the country’s capital, Warsaw. In this it is almost unique, being one of few European Parks bordering a capital city. It covers 38,544 ha (including 72 ha in the form of the European Bison Breeding Centre at Smardzewice in Łódź voivodship), and is surrounded by a buffer zone of 37,756 ha.
The Park includes extensive areas of the Kampinos Forest, which are located within the proglacial valley of the Vistula, but other types of ecosystems are represented, such as dunes and marshes. This diversity of habitats ensures the presence of more than 100 plant communities: these include 1400 species of vascular plants, 120 species of bryophytes and 150 species of lichens.
The Park also boasts 74 species of trees (the most widespread in the forest is the Scots pine) and 86 species of shrubs, and it is one of the most important refuges for Poland’s lowland fauna.
