Krzywy Las (the Crooked Forest): Visiting Poland’s Mysterious Bent Pine Grove
Mountains, sea, dunes, and forests. Poland is a country rich in nature, but one of its most peculiar attractions is a strange grove known as the “Crooked Forest” (Krzywy Las). Nearly 100 pine trees grow with their trunks bent sharply at the base, a sight that suits Poland’s mystical side perfectly. It has also drawn attention as a “power spot,” attracting visitors from Poland and abroad.
I had wanted to visit this place ever since I first saw photos of it on social media. When I had the chance to go to the nearby city of Szczecin, I finally made the trip. In this post I cover how to get there, the mystery everyone wonders about (“why are the trees bent?”), and Gryfino, a nearby town that still preserves a medieval atmosphere.
1.What Is Poland’s “Crooked Forest”?
The Crooked Forest is located in the small village of Nowe Czarnowo, near Gryfino in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, western Poland. In the 1930s the area belonged to the German province of Pomerania, and that is when the trees are believed to have been planted.
Originally, 400 pines were planted in neat, orderly rows, 22 rows in all. Today just over 100 remain. Of these, only some trees are bent: about 20 to 50 cm above the ground they turn nearly 90 degrees, then grow straight upward. The bent section is roughly 1 to 3 meters long, and the trees are said to be over 90 years old.
Why only some of the trees ended up like this is, in fact, still unresolved. The forest is currently protected by the Polish state as a “natural monument” and is managed by the local Gryfino forest district office.
2. Why Are They Bent? Several Theories
The information board on site explained in detail what is currently known about the mystery. According to it, the pines are estimated to have started bending around 1934. The only dendrological study ever conducted, by Professor Eugeniusz Ćwikliński in 1971, remains one of the few clues available.
The Human-Made Theory (the most widely held)
The most commonly told explanation is that the trees were deliberately bent by people, in order to grow pre-shaped timber for furniture or shipbuilding. The idea is that craftsmen skilled in wood-bending techniques artificially shaped the young pine saplings.
The information board also points to the layout of the trees themselves. It states that the forest was originally planted in an orderly pattern: 22 rows with 120 cm spacing, on a plot of 1,600 square meters. This very regular arrangement supports the hypothesis that this was not a natural occurrence but a deliberate creation by human hands.
The Tank / Military Theory
Another theory holds that tanks and other heavy machinery passing through the area during World War II crushed the saplings, and the ones that survived kept growing in their bent shape.
Still Unsolved
To this day, no official record exists explaining why or how the trees were bent. The board states this plainly: this regularity may be proof of human involvement, but no official document has been found explaining why or how foresters created this distinctive shape.
More than 90 years later, the local Gryfino forest district office (Nadleśnictwo Gryfino) still invites visitors to help find the answer. Perhaps this “unsolvable mystery” is the Crooked Forest’s greatest charm.
3.How to Get to the Crooked Forest (Krzywy Las)
Although it’s called a forest, you can see the whole area with the bent trees in about 10 minutes. (There are benches, so it’s also nice to just sit and relax.) For that reason, I recommend combining it with a visit to the nearby major city of Szczecin. Szczecin has plenty to see as well, so please check out my article on it.
From Szczecin, take a local train for about 30 minutes to Dolna Odra station, and from there it’s about a 13-minute walk. Trains are infrequent, so be sure to check the schedule carefully. The app Jakdojade is handy here too, for both tickets and timetables.
The entrance was much closer than I expected, so it was very easy to reach. There is also a parking lot right nearby, and it seems most visitors come by car. Admission is free. There are signs everywhere, so you’re unlikely to get lost. Just one thing to keep in mind: when you get off at Dolna Odra station, the forest is on the left side when facing the Szczecin direction. (It’s a small station, and I didn’t see any signs there.)
4.What I thought after visiting Visiting the Crooked Forest
What surprised me first was how easy it was to reach. I had imagined it would be deep in the forest, so being within a 10-minute walk of the station was unexpected. I visited on a Saturday just before noon in mid-September, and it wasn’t very crowded. There were not only Poles but also many Germans, since the site is close to the German border. I imagine it shows a completely different face in the snowy season, so I’d love to visit in winter.
5.Gryfino, a Town We Stopped By on the Way Back
On the way back from the Crooked Forest, I decided to stop by the nearby town of Gryfino. It’s a bit far, over an hour on foot from the forest, but I enjoyed taking in the scenery of the area as I walked. Most of the route follows the road, so it wasn’t especially pleasant, but trains also depart from Gryfino, so I went anyway. As I approached Gryfino, the first thing I saw was the large tower in the photo above.
I was surprised to learn that Gryfino was founded in 1254, and that parts of the defensive walls, begun in the late 13th to early 14th century, and a tower built in the late 15th to early 16th century still remain, giving the town a medieval feel. Incidentally, there are now apartments inside the walls.
Comments