«A Protected, Relict Forest» – on the 485th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Bialowieza Forest as a Hunting Reserve, the First in Central and Eastern Europe

2026 marks the 485th anniversary of the declaration of the Bialowieza Forest as a hunting reserve, the first in Central and Eastern Europe.

Bialowieza Forest has historically been renowned for its diversity and abundance of game. In 1409, before his campaign against the Teutonic Order, Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania, in order to procure meat for his 100,000-strong army, organized the most colossal hunt in the history of the relict forest. In 1541, under the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Sigismund I the Old, Bialowieza Forest was officially declared a Grand Duke’s Hunting Reserve. Under the reign of Stefan Batory, King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a bison nursery was established in the forest, where a herd of bison was always kept in readiness for the arrival of the king and his crowned guests. The last king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Stanisław August Poniatowski, caused considerable damage to the forest, and his hunts became a mere part of palace entertainment.

In 1775, Belovezhskaya Pushcha became part of the Russian Empire. Alexander II, the first Russian tsar to visit Belovezhskaya Pushcha for hunting, was the first to do so. During this three-day hunt, 28 bison were killed, not to mention other animals.

During the Soviet period, hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha was held for the party elite, foreign delegations, and for scientific purposes.

Today, hunting is conducted solely for the purpose of ecosystem conservation or scientific selection. Alternative forms of hunting have also emerged, including photo hunting and ecotourism. A promotional video for the exhibition «Reserved, Relic Forest» was posted on the BGAKFFD YouTube channel to commemorate the 485th anniversary of the declaration of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha forests as a hunting preserve.

Currently, the Belarusian State Archive of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents holds over 700 photographic documents from 1885 to 2023 and approximately 190 film documents from 1946 to 2024 related to the history of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. More than 60 photographic documents are dedicated to the hunts of the Romanov dynasty.

Among the film documents, footage from the «Savetskaya Belarus» newsreels is noteworthy (issues 15-16 from 1946 show footage taken during the transfer of five bison from the Polish side of Belovezhskaya Pushcha to the BSSR). Films about Belovezhskaya Pushcha from 1947 to the present day are also featured, as well as footage from the weekly program «Kontury» (Contours) and television programs such as «Karani», «Terra Incognita», and «Vse Putyom» (Everything’s Fine).

Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha was not only a means of obtaining game, but also a symbol of power and status. Today, this primeval forest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Monitoring and measures are being taken to protect rare animal and plant species, restore the hydrological regime, and expand zones of absolute calm.

1. Archive #0-038944 King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Stanislav August Poniatowski with his retinue hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha August 31, 1784 /reproduction/. From the collections of the V.I.Lenin State Library of the BSSR

2. Archive #0-038962 Emperor Nicholas II, Grand Dukes Mikhail Alexandrovich, Vladimir Alexandrovich and others near a bison killed during a hunt in Belovezhskaya Pushcha 1900, Grodno Province. From the collections of the V.I. Lenin State Library of the BSSR

3. Archive #0-038961 Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich with his retinue hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha 1900, Grodno Province. From the collection of the State Library of the BSSR named after V.I.Lenin

4. Archive No.0-139448 Polish tourists in Belovezhskaya Pushcha 1935, Bialystok Voivodeship. Photo library of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park

5. Archive No.0-095614 Cameraman of the Belarusfilm studio M.S. Berov, director F.V.Blazhevich and others on the set of the first documentary about Belovezhskaya Pushcha 1946, Brest region. Collector M.Berov

6. Archive №0-128924 Phenologist-observer of the Belarusian State Nature Reserve «Belovezhskaya Pushcha» V.Datskevich during the observation of the nest of the booted eagle /1950s/, Brest region. Collector I.Pikman

7. Archive №0-129014 Wolves near the wild boar they killed in the Belarusian State Nature Reserve «Belovezhskaya Pushcha» /1950s/, Brest region. Collector I.Pikman

8. Archive №0-074869 Bison – an inhabitant of the Belarusian State Nature Reserve «Belovezhskaya Pushcha» July 25, 1951, Brest region. Photo chronicle BelTA, V.Lupeiko, V.German

9. Archive №0-074880 Queen pine in the Belarusian State Nature Reserve «Belovezhskaya Pushcha» July 27, 1951, Brest region. Photo chronicle BelTA, V.Lupeiko, V.German

10. Archive №0-051244 A herd of deer in the State Nature Reserve and Hunting Ground «Belovezhskaya Pushcha» January 13, 1963, Brest region. Photo chronicle BelTA, V.German

11. Archive №0-061268 Participants of the All-Union Conference, organized by the Belarusian Branch of the All-Union Botanical Society, get acquainted with the flora of Belovezhskaya Pushcha June 9, 1966, Brest region. BelTA Photo Chronicle, V.German

12. Archive No.0-089724 Head of the branch of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha State Reserve and Hunting Grounds S.M.Vayavkin and research fellow of the Zoology Department of the BSSR Academy of Sciences, Candidate of Biological Sciences Yu. A.Vyazovich observe the nesting sites of wild ducks. August 11, 1971, Brest Region. BelTA Photo Chronicle, V.German

13. Archive No.C1-0213 Forest pond in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha State Reserve and Hunting Grounds. 1974, Brest Region. Collector M.Ananyin

14. Archive №C1-0227 A gamekeeper fills a feeder for wild animals with hay at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha State Game Reserve 1974, Brest Region. Collector M.Ananyin

15. Archive №0-136792 Students of the Kamenyukskaya Secondary School, Kamenets District, members of the scientific society, under the guidance of P.K.Mikhalevich, Director of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Nature Museum, care for a young moose, Mashka June 1988, Brest Region. BelInform Photo Library, L.Klimansky, E.Kobyak

16. Archive №0-169840 Tsar Oak in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha State Game Reserve 1989, Brest Region, Collector V.Mezhevich

17. Arch. №E025684 Father Frost and Snow Maiden at the main entrance to Father Frost’s residence in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park December 2003, Brest Region. BelTA Photo Chronicle, R.Kobyak

18. Arch. №E083334 View of the territory of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park 2009, Brest Region. BelTA Photo Chronicle, V.Cheberkus

19. Arch. №E038203 During the feeding of bison in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park January 3, 2011, Brest Region. Photo library of the editorial staff of the newspaper «Respublika», Yu.Mozolevsky

20. Archive №E066159 View of the Dikoye swamp on the territory of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park, included in the list of wetland areas protected by the Ramsar Convention and received the status of a wetland of international importance 2018, Brest Region. Photo library of the editorial staff of the magazine «Rodnaya Pryroda», A.Kleshchuk