Napoleon Nature Reserve - floristic and forest nature reserve in Poland, in voivodeship of Lodz, Poddębicki district, the municipality Poddębice, within the forest complex located in the vicinity of the villages of Niewiesz, Ułany and Zakrzew.
Geographic coordinates: 51 ° 55′N 18 ° 54′E
The area of the reserve is 38.63 ha, it was established by the Order of the Minister of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry of December 11, 1995.
The "Napoleon" reserve (sometimes called "Dąbrowa Napoleon") was created to protect the complex luminous oak tree at the age of about 120 years and mixed forest with lush undergrowth, in which there are many species of rare and protected plants, including the common spotted eagle, digitalis common and papillary euonymus. Many interesting species of animals are observed there.
Road from Poddębice down Uniejow leads through the center of a large forest complex known as the Napoleons' wilderness. The section of the road about 5 kilometers long is very picturesque, especially on sunny days, it is pleasant to travel in the shade of tall oaks and pines.
It is the largest compact forest complex in the north-western part of the Łódź Province, with an area of approximately 2,000 ha. The forest lies on the plateau separating the valley Neru (which flows on the outskirts of Poddębice) and Worth it. The elevated forested area lies at an altitude of about 140-145 m above sea level, i.e. about 30 m higher than the adjacent bottom of the Ner valley. This raised area is built in the central part, mainly of gravel and sand, which has resulted in the formation of specific types of forest communities.
In the middle of the forest there is a forest settlement Zarzew, which is hardly visible from the road. There is a parking lot nearby on the south side of the road. It is worth stopping here and visiting the "Napoleon" reserve located on the other side of the road. Its south-eastern border runs along the Poddębice - Uniejów road. In the corners of the reserve, there are information boards with the reserve plan and basic data about it. As in other reserves, trees growing along the borders are marked with a green stripe on the trunk. The most valuable element of the reserve are well-formed patches of light oak - a rare type of forest community. It is a unique type of forest in many ways. Not very dense forest stand, mostly oak, and poorly developed undergrowth mean that a lot of light reaches the forest floor (hence the name of the community). This favors the development of a very lush and species-diverse undergrowth. We can easily find over 50 species of flowering plants in the area of several ares. On warm sunny days, the forest makes an extraordinary impression. Sunspots on the forest floor, lush green undergrowth with an abundance of multicolored flowers, good visibility even in the depths of the forest make it seem extremely friendly, and staying in it is conducive to relaxation.
Light Dąbrowa was much more common in the past. Their common occurrence was favored by the centuries-long grazing of cattle in the forests and the logging of looting. With the cessation of grazing (the ban has been in force for about 60 years), an important factor inhibiting the excessive development of undergrowth (shrubs) has disappeared.
Luminous Dąbrowa in the Napoleon Reserve is mostly covered with stands of sessile oak aged about 120 years. In many places, planted pine also plays a significant role in the stand. Here and there are also much older oaks, probably about 200 years old. An interesting fact is the occurrence of several magnificent specimens of Polish larch at the eastern border of the reserve. Hornbeam is also quite numerous in several places. Hazel and common buckthorn are the dominant species in the undergrowth, which is generally underdeveloped. In the north-west part, under the oak and pine eaves, there is a very valuable cluster of magnificent junipers, the largest specimens of which are up to 4 meters high and more than 80 years old. extremely beautiful, often rare and endangered species of plants, of which about 140 species have been found. The appearance of the undergrowth clearly changes during the growing season. When visiting the reserve in early spring, we will probably notice blackthorn blooming on the edge of the forest, and numerous anemones under the trees. Perhaps we will also find one of the rarer plants found only in warm luminous forests - narrow-leaved lungwort, with red flowers at the initial stage of flowering and blue flowers during the dying period. In May, we will be enchanted by the multitude of white-blooming lilies of the valley and blue violets, and in June, the oak forest comes alive with all the colors of the plants that bloom here. Red blooms then, among others European beech tree, double clover, meconium, black pea, blue - various species of speedwells, peach-leaved and bristly bellflower, long-tailed oakwort and rare downy oak. White flowers have: branch arachnid, lily-of-the-valley, black-and-white, red-leaved, and yellow - St. John's wort and spiny-leaved, ranunculus buttercup, and various species of hawks.
The Napoleon Reserve makes the greatest impression at the end of spring and the beginning of summer, although it is interesting at any time of the year. Intriguing is the name of the wilderness from which the name of the reserve is derived. Did the Emperor of France pass this way and rest here in the shade of the oaks, enchanted by the special climate of luminous oak trees? Perhaps, because this place is located on the old road connecting, among others, Rawa Mazowiecka with Uniejów. If he could, an old oak growing on the edge of the Poddębice - Uniejów road, about 300 meters west of the reserve, would have told about those times. Its size undoubtedly proves that in the Napoleonic times, i.e. at the beginning of the 19th century, it was already an impressive tree.
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