INFORMATION PORTAL OF THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OF THE KUJAWSKO-POMORSKIE Region IN TORUŃ

In 2025, Tucholski Landscape Park celebrated a double anniversary – the 40th anniversary of its establishment and the 15th anniversary of the creation of the Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve. On this occasion, a conference will be held on March 12 in Piła near Gostycyn in Tuchola County. The event will summarize four decades of joint efforts by institutions and the dedication of park staff to preserving the natural, cultural, and historical values of this area.

Tucholski Landscape Park was established on December 9, 1985, as the first landscape park in the then Bydgoszcz Region. Dr. hab. Mieczysław Kunz, scientific editor of the eighth jubilee monograph about the park titled “Tucholski Landscape Park: People – Events – Resources”, notes in the publication that:
“However, the foundation of all achievements remains people – employees, members of the Park Council, scientists, local government representatives, and social partners. (…) Throughout the entire period of the park’s operation, the staff of Tucholski Landscape Park have initiated many events and activities, often unique on a national scale, which have become a permanent element of the Tuchola Forest landscape and its distinguishing feature.”

The jubilee conference will summarize forty years of work by naturalists, scientists, collaborators, and the local community aimed at ensuring the coexistence of natural and social systems in accordance with the concept of sustainable development. The event will take place within the Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve – a globally unique area certified by UNESCO. Representatives of public administration, environmental institutions, scientists, and retired park employees have confirmed their participation.

“Tucholski Landscape Park offers visitors many attractions. It is not only diverse nature, an abundance of mushrooms, hiking and kayaking trails, but also traces of Borowiak culture. For years, the park staff have contributed to preserving the unique natural and cultural values of these lands and promoting them both in Poland and abroad,” emphasizes Marshal of the Region Piotr Całbecki.

Key activities carried out in Tucholski Landscape Park over four decades include:

• nature monitoring – including the kingfisher, bats, forest owls, and the wolf, as well as fungi and selected protected plant species. Research on the kingfisher, conducted since 1992, is among the longest-running monitoring projects for this species in Poland. Monitoring of forest owls has been carried out since 2015, and since 2022 monitoring has also included the grey wolf, which reappeared in the area after several years of absence.
• active nature conservation, including protection of orchids, bats, and forest owls; Brda River clean-up campaigns; and socio-ecological initiatives such as nature-friendly gardens and habitats for insects. The Educational Garden at the park headquarters contains many native and traditional plant species, bird nesting boxes, bat boxes, insect hotels, and shelters for amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals.
• environmental education, including exhibitions, workshops, and nationwide competitions. Among them is the mushroom exhibition organized for 32 years in cooperation with the Polish Mycological Society and the Tuchola Forest District. It is the oldest exhibition of this kind in Poland; during the two-day event nearly 100 species of mushrooms from nearby forests are presented. For 26 years the park and the Tuchola Forest District have organized the competition “Nature Around Us” for primary school students from the park area. Since 2005, a separate category has also been held for students from special schools. Park staff conduct educational classes for participants of all ages – from preschool children to seniors. Key topics include the park’s natural highlights: the kingfisher (featured in the park’s logo), mushrooms for which the Tuchola Forest is famous, and the wolf.
• dissemination of scientific and organizational activities, as well as results of research and environmental monitoring.
• implementation of external projects, including modernization of the park headquarters, renewal of field signage, and construction of the Field Centre for Environmental Education and Promotion of the Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve.

Tucholski Landscape Park – timeline of events:

1974 – Dr. Marian Boiński begins research and inventory work aimed at preparing a geobotanical characterization of the present area of Tucholski Landscape Park.

December 9, 1985 – Establishment of Tucholski Landscape Park – the first landscape park in the then Bydgoszcz Region.

September 7-8, 1990 – First field press conference “KNOW – RESPECT – HELP” (Tuchola – Chojnice).

June 1995 – Expansion of the administrative building – the headquarters of Tucholski Landscape Park at 1 Podgórna Street in Tuchola.

June 2, 2010 – Establishment in Paris of the UNESCO – MaB Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve, which includes the “Tuchola Forest” National Park and four landscape parks: Tucholski, Wdecki, Wdzydzki, and Zaborski.

April 2013 – Launch of the project “Construction of the Field Centre for Environmental Education and Promotion of the Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve in Tucholski Landscape Park,” financed under the Regional Operational Programme of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region 2014-2020.

Tucholski Landscape Park covers the south-eastern part of the Tuchola Forest and lies within the Pomeranian and Kujawsko-Pomorskie Regions. Its symbol is the kingfisher. The park covers over 36,000 hectares and includes eight nature reserves. The Brda River, a network of lakes, and forests full of mushrooms make the park an ideal destination for nature lovers and those interested in Kashubian history and culture. It is one of ten landscape parks in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region.

Preserving the unique values of the region’s landscape parks is regularly supported by funding from the regional self-government and the European Funds for Kujawy and Pomorze 2021-2027 programme. In the regional budget for this year, PLN 29.5 million has been allocated for this purpose. Tucholski Landscape Park will implement the project “Implementation of the Functions of the Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve” at a cost of nearly PLN 8 million from this pool. Planned activities include expansion of infrastructure, broadening the educational offer by upgrading facilities, creating a model habitat for wild pollinators, establishing educational nature trails, and building accommodation facilities near the centre with an interactive underground educational hall.

Tucholski Landscape Park
& Press Office of the Marshal’s Office
March 11, 2026