The Crooked Forest in Poland attracts attention for its pine trees having a strange shape. There are around 400 such twisted trees in the forest, located in the village of Nowe Czarnowo near the town of Gryfino in West Pomerania. Curiously, the reason behind the crooked shape of the trees is still a mystery.
The pine trees were planted in 1930. From the base, all of them bend perpendicularly towards the north and have grown parallel to the ground for about three to nine before turning upright. The remaining part of the trunk is straight and points to the sky. All the trees are healthy and are almost 50 feet tall.
Why did they change shape?
A number of studies have been carried out to explain the crooked shape of the trees but none of them could provide a scientific explanation.
One suggestion related to a reportedly unique gravitational force experienced in the area. However, this was soon disproved as it was not backed by scientific facts. Another theory said that the saplings were drooped due to the heavy snowfall. But as no other plants in the locality, except these pine trees, are crooked, this theory was rejected.
The most recent and plausible explanation says that the local farmers twisted the saplings soon after they were planted in 1930. However, this theory cannot explain why the trees started growing straight upwards at the age of seven or eight years.
Gryfino was an abandoned city from the beginning of World War II to 1970. As a result, there are no old residents who could give researchers an insight into the planting of the pine trees, making the mystery hard to unravel.
How to reach
The most convenient way to reach Crook Forest from Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is by train. A seven-hour journey would travellers to the crooked forest. Buses also are available on the route, but the travel time is ten-and-a-half hours.
The ideal seasons to visit Poland are during spring – March to May – and autumn – September to November.
Poland experiences a European temperate climate with six different seasons. While the summers are very warm, extreme cold is felt during winter.
