Traditions of a Royal Period (Until 1795)

Abstract

This chapter covers the period when Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF) served as a hunting reserve for the Grand Dukes of Lithuania and the Polish Kings from the late fourteenth century until 1795. At the same time, along with grand hunting, a various traditional uses were allowed associated with villages, towns, and churches. The most significant of these were haymaking and forest beekeeping. The anthropogenic environmental impact of this royal period can be seen in the creation of the cultural landscape of a hunting garden, in the evolution of stands of pure pine resulting from centuries of fire use, and the establishment of the conservation and winter supplementary feeding system for European bison. The cultural heritage of the period, incorporated traditions connected with European bison, small-leaved lime, Scots pine, and the local knowledge of forest herbs and their uses. All these traditions persisted here because of the royal status of the Forest and the longevity of its customary management. This entailed legal protection over game species and the forest itself ensured by customary laws, and later codified in three editions of Statutes of Lithuania.The history, impacts, and roles of royal hunting are considered along with the traditional uses of the forest by various groups of local people. The two aspects are closely intertwined as the overall usage was overseen by the designated authorities charged with responsibility for the Forest.