Shatsky

Shatsk National Park was created in 1983 in Volyn province, in north-western Ukraine, next to the Polish and Belarusian borders, and protects some 490 km². It was declared a biosphere reserve in 2002.

Within its boundaries there are twenty-three lakes, the largest of which is Svitiaz, the deepest and most extensive in Ukraine. They are karst lakes, formed by the dissolution of the underlying limestone, and Svitiaz is famous for the exceptional clarity of its water and for the healing properties attributed to its muds, which have made it a summer destination much frequented by Ukrainians, Belarusians and Poles.

Pine forests cover more than half the park's territory and fill the air with the characteristic smell of pine needles. Between the lakes lie peat bogs, marshes and wet meadows typical of Polesie, the great wetland region shared by Ukraine, Belarus and Poland. The park is home to 61 species of fauna and flora listed in the Red Book. Shatsky is the Ukrainian component of the West Polesie Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, which since 2012 has also included Polesie National Park in Poland and Pribuzhskoye Polesie in Belarus.