| Crooked Forest Polish: Krzywy Las | |
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| Map | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Gryfino County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship,Poland |
| Coordinates | 53°12′50″N14°28′30″E / 53.21389°N 14.47500°E |
| Administration | |
| Status | Natural monument of Poland [1] |
| Ecology | |
| Dominant tree species | Scots pine |
The Crooked Forest (Polish : Krzywy Las) is a grove of oddly-shaped Scots pine trees located in the village of Nowe Czarnowo near the town of Gryfino, West Pomerania, in north-western Poland. It is a protected natural monument of Poland. [1] At the time of planting this location was part of the German province of Pomerania. [2]
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This grove of 400 pines was planted in around 1930. Each pine tree bends sharply to the north, just above ground level, then curves back upright after a sideways excursion of one to three meters (3–9 feet). The curved pines are enclosed by a surrounding forest of straight pine trees. [3] The trees grow to about 50 feet (15 m) in height. [2]
It is generally believed that some form of human tool or technique was used to make the trees grow or bend this way, but the method has never been determined, and remains a mystery to this day. It has been speculated that the trees may have been deformed to create naturally curved timber for use in furniture or boat building. [4] [5] Others surmise that a snowstorm could have bent the trunks, but there is little evidence of that. [5] [6]
The forest was featured in season 1, episode 4 of The UnXplained on the History channel titled "Unnatural Nature" that first aired on 9 August 2019. [7]
The site is open to the public and is a tourist attraction in the region. [8]
