Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park

Brest, Belarus (border area with Ukraine), Ukraine

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Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park is a large forested protected area in the Brest Region of western Belarus, stretching about 60–70 km north of the city of Brest and lying very close to the Polish border, not the Ukrainian one.

It forms the Belarusian part of the wider Białowieża Forest, one of Europe’s last and largest remnants of primeval lowland forest, covering roughly 1,500 square kilometers and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is home to a rich mix of plants and animals, including the largest free‑ranging herd of European bison in the world, as well as elk, wolves, lynx, deer, and many bird species, all living in old‑growth beech and hornbeam woodland.

The border between Belarus and Poland runs through the forest, with the Polish side protected as Białowieża National Park, and visitors can move between the two under certain visa‑free arrangements for hikers and cyclists. Beyond nature, the park has historical meaning: in the 1990s, nearby Viskuli estate in the forest was the site where the leaders of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine signed agreements dissolving the Soviet Union and creating the Commonwealth of Independent States.