# Lubuskie

Lubuskie is a voivodeship (province) in western Poland named after Lubusz Land. It is the most forested part of Poland: nearly half of its area is forest, with a few rivers and plains here and there. Usual tourist activities in the region include camping and mushroom picking.

## Cities

* 52.73333315.251 Gorzów Wielkopolski — the biggest town in and one of the capitals of the voivodeship
* 51.93333315.52 Zielona Góra — a big city in and one of the capitals of the voivodeship, the Polish wine capital
* 52.58833314.653 Kostrzyn nad Odrą — the former town centre was completely destroyed in World War II and has been preserved as a ruin park
* 52.444515.5784 Międzyrzecz - town mostly known for nearby Nazi fortification complex with long underground tunnels
* 52.3514.5666675 Słubice
* 52.2494415.533166 Świębodzin - town famous for hosting largest Jesus Christ statue in Poland
* 51.816.3166677 Wschowa — baroque town

## Other destinations

* 53.115.9333331 Drawa National Park — a forested river valley that is a popular kayaking and camping spot
* 52.577214.72582 Ujście Warty National Park — national park with swamps and many birds
* 51.5422614.734073 Muskau Park — beautiful park on Polish-German border (on both sides of it), a UNESCO site.

## Understand

The province's name recalls the historic Lubusz Land (germ. Lebuser Land), although part of the voivodeship in fact belongs to the historic region of Silesia. For centuries the area on the Central Odra belonged to different countries. The influences of Polish, German and Czech culture mixed here.

## Get in
### By plane

There is no international airport in the Lubusz Voivodeship. Zielona Góra-Babimost (IEG) is a regional airport that provides mostly charter flights however it also has connections to Warsaw and it may be the only viable plane option to reach Lubusz. It is located 50 minutes-long bus drive from city and has sloppy operation record with new connections opening and closing frequently.
The nearest international airport is Poznań-Ławica Airport (POZ). Other options are Wrocław Copernicus Airport (WRO) for southern part and Szczecin-Goleniów Airport (SZZ) for northern part of the province. Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) in Germany has many international options, however it is not worth it, as the connections from here to Lubusz voivodeship are very slow and require multiple transfers.

### By train

Border towns (Kostrzyn nad Odrą, Słubice) are easily accessible from Germany, however further travel will require transfer. Central part of voivodeship is well served as it is part of Berlin-Warsaw rail, however few settlements are located close to this line and you will need to change trains in Rzepin or Zbąszynek. Expect 4 to 5 hours of travel and several transfers when coming from Berlin to any larger settlement in Lubusz.
Gorzów Wielkopolski is hard to reach from Poland with 2-3 hours long ride from Szczecin or Poznań. Zielona Góra is more accessible at about 2 hours from Poznań or Wrocław.

### By bus

Similar to rail, central part of voivodeship is well served as it is common route from Berlin to Warsaw and many stops are made here, you should be able to reach Międzyrzecz this way.
Gorzów Wielkopolski is accessible by bus from Szczecin, while Zielona Góra has connections from Poznań and Wrocław although they are slow (3 hours). There are no direct connections from Berlin and you will need to transfer for train.

### By car

Probably easiest way of visiting Lubusz as the infrastructure is well developed with new motorways close to points of interest. Most important roads are A2 (west-east) and S3 (north-south) connecting all major cities in the province.

## See

* Half of the romantic park of Duke Muckow - Muskau Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Łęknica.
* Kłopot: In this small border village you can see half a bridge ending in the middle of the Oder River. In World War II the German troops blew up the bridge retreating from the Soviets. Kłopot is also known for its big stork population in the summer time and for the stork-museum. You can reach Kłopot driving on the main road between Słubice and Zielona Góra. When you reach a small town between them called Cybinka follow the signs.

## Stay safe

Lubuskie is relatively sparsely populated and attracts close to no tourism, so there is not much crime. However, be aware that Lubuskie is a very forested province (nearly half of it is a forest), and it is easy to get lost in one of many large forests. If you ever find yourself lost, try to move north or south, as most forests in the area grow west to east. Also, it is host to a large boar population.

## Go next

Lubusz Voivodeship borders three other Polish provinces:
* Zachodniopomorskie,
* Wielkopolskie,
* and Dolnośląskie,
as well as Germany.