Popielno Polish Konik Horse Breeding Station

The center conducts research on the biology of the antler cycle, reproduction and behavior of the red deer, known in the country and in the world. There were also attempts to cross the bison, buffalo and cows in Popielno. In the experimental apiary, the amount of toxic compounds released from the environment into bees and bee products is determined. The center has an experimental forest under its care. There are two nature paths in the forest. Walking along the designated natural paths, you can get acquainted with the diversity of the Piska Forest and its characteristic plant species. Here you can meet the round-leaved sundew, which arouses the greatest emotions among all bog plants because it is insectivorous. The Regional Center for Ecological Education operates at the Polish Academy of Sciences research facility in Popielno. There is also a museum exhibition with materials and exhibits presenting several decades of the station's achievements. The museum can be visited from 10:00 to 17:00.

more information at mazury.pc.pl/po-mazurach/popielno-stacja-badawcza-polskiej-akademii-nauk

Polish ponies are the only native, original breed of horses most likely descended from wild tarpans (Equus caballus gmelini Ant.), Which until the end of the 18th century, and in some areas even until the beginning of the 19th century, could be found in the area of former Poland, Lithuania and Prussia. . At that time, wild tarpans were caught, and then they were often used to mate with local horses. In 1936, professor Tadeusz Vetulani, a researcher and promoter of primitive horses, began an experiment to prove that Polish ponies descended from the forest variety of tarpans (Equus caballus gmelini Ant. Forma silvatica Vet). For this purpose, a group of horses, the closest in appearance to tarpans, was purchased from the local population and placed in a forest reserve in Białowieża. After the death of Professor Vetulani in 1952, the experiment on the restoration of the forest tarpan was stopped. It was resumed in 1955 in Popielno, where the breeding of Polish Konik horses is carried out until today, in two maintenance systems: reserve and stable.