1. Introduction

This chapter sets the scene for the volume. Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF) is a biological, ecological, historical and cultural phenomenon, with continuous vegetation history reaching back to the last glaciation (about 11–12 thousand years ago). This landscape and its ecology persisted until modern times with richly diverse animal and plant species, diverse forest environments with abundance of dead and decaying trees, and above all, its ecological systems driven by largely natural processes. Divided between Poland and Belarus, BPF is a trans-boundary UNESCO World Heritage Site “Białowieża Forest” (established in 1992), with the Polish part being a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1976, and covered by a Natura 2000 network of nature protection areas (since 2004). BPF is a reference point in research on temperate forests and is a forest biodiversity “hot-spot”. However, BPF is also a historical phenomenon. The first identifiable traces of human presence in the forest go back several thousand years. Scattered throughout the forest there are remnants of past settlements, cemeteries, and agricultural activities from ancient and early mediaeval periods. Furthermore, these are preserved in a very good state due to BPF’s conservation as a royal hunting ground since the fourteenth century. Finally, BPF is also a cultural phenomenon and noted to be outstanding and important already by the eighteenth century. At this time, it was recognised as one of the last truly untamed and wild forest in Europe holding one of the only two remaining populations of European bison. The forest became a study area, source of inspiration, and travel destination, playing a major role in the history and development of relevant science, especially the natural sciences. The focus of our book is the process through which this cultural role of BPF evolved. To answer this question, we consider the history and environmental history of the forest through the “long nineteenth century” (confined between two dates: 1795 and 1915). In parallel with this exploration, we follow the cultural significance of the forest as manifested in material imprints of management and conservation, and in the cultural heritage and ultural recognition of the forest among naturalists, travellers, writers and artists. The first chapter closes with some thoughts on the current issues and challenges for the forest.