Logo Powiat Suwalski

STAROSTWO POWIATOWE W SUWAŁKACH

ul. Świerkowa 60, 16-400 Suwałki
tel. centrala: +48 87 5659200,
fax: +48 87 5664718

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Poviat of Suwałki

Area: 1308 km2
Inhabitants: 35.6 thousand
Number of Communes: 9

The Poviat of Suwałki is situated in the north-eastern corner of Poland and is one of the 17 poviats (counties) of the Podlaskie Voivodship. It is composed of nine rural communes: Bakałarzewo, Filipów, Jeleniewo, Przerośl, Raczki, Rutka-Tartak, Suwałki, Szypliszki and Wiżajny, covering the total area of 1308km2.The city of Suwałki constitutes also a separate municipality.

The Poviat of Suwałki borders on Lithuania in the north and the Oblast of Kaliningrad, Russia, at the triple junction of the borders. Due to the Poviat's border location one border crossing is situated on the territory of Suwałki Poviat, in Budzisko, and three others in its proximity: Gołdap, Ogrodniki and Trakiszki.

The Poviat is situated at the international transit route Scandinavia - Southern  Europe (the future Via Baltica), ca. 300km from the capital of Poland, Warsaw, and 120 km from Białystok, the capital of the province.

Mapa przedstawiająca lokalizację powiatu suwalskiego na tle Polski i Europy

The Poviat of Suwałki counts 35.6 thousand inhabitants, 27 persons per 1km2 , which accounts for 3% of the population of the Podlaskie Voivodship.

The area of the Poviat differs distinctly to the rest of the Voivodship. It owes its distinct character  to the unique variety of landscapes, individual features of climate and natural world. The same concerns the history of the local settlement and the land's economic development, and even the ethnic composition of its population.

Geographically, Suwalszczyzna (the Suwałki subregion) is part of the Lithuanian Lakeland, its climate heavily influenced by Arctic and continental winds. And it is due to the impact of the cold winds that the region ranks among the coldest areas of Poland, the neighbourhood of Wiżajny is known to be the "Polish  pole of cold".


Winters here are long and frosty (even twice longer than winters in western Poland) and summers are usually short and hot. The area features strong climactic contrasts, the most extreme  temperatures recorded being +36°C and -38°C.

Zimowy krajobraz przedstawiający oszronione krzewy

The climactic peculiarity is paralleled by the special character of the local flora with many rare boreal species and post-glacial relics, including also some specimens of mountainous plants. The great variety of the natural environment is conducive to preservation and development of a diversified range of animal species.

The Suwałki region features also a greatly diversified lay of the land. From the elevation of 120m  in the south of the region to ca. 300m above sea level in the north. It is a land of contrasts and  unique concentration of a great variety of postglatial terrain forms.  The middle part of the Poviat is occupied by the Suwałki Landscape Park (Suwalski Park Krajobrazowy) ? the oldest of its type protected landscape area in Poland, featuring moraine uplands, kames, eskers and hanging river valleys.

zdjęcie z lotu ptaka przedstawiające jezioro

Natural gems are the local water reservoirs: from charming springs to the watercourses of the three emblematic rivers of the region: Rospuda, Szeszupa and Czarna Hańcza, and numerous lakes.There are here 111 lakes of more than 1 hectare in size, covering the total surface of 602 hectare. The largest of these is Lake Wigry (2098.66ha), whereas the deepest and at the same time the cleanest is Lake Hańcza (108.5m deep).

zdjęcie z lotu ptaka przedstawiające widok na cztery jeziora i las zdjęcie z lotu ptaka przedstawiające miejscowość Bakałarzewo malowniczo położone nad jeziorem

The variety of the animal and plant species, clean air and water, forests and diversified landscapes all contribute to the beautiful image of the Suwalszczyzna today, protected by the Wigry National  Park (Wigierski Park Narodowy), Suwałki Landscape Park, nature reserves and other forms of nature conservation. The area of the Poviat is included in the Green Lungs of Poland programme and European nature conservation programmes. The natural advantages of the Poviat of Suwałki place it high in the ranking of the most interesting tourist destinations of Poland.


Across the Suwałki land run tourist trails (footpaths, cycle paths and horse trails) leading to the  cleanest and most beautiful nature spots arranged for active recreation. The two largest rivers of Suwalszczyzna: Hańcza and Rospuda are also the most attractive canoeing routes.