The charm of a bygone era: when the tsar was a god.

Today I'm going to write about the world that was irretrievably annihilated by the October Revolution. Actually, these were not happy times for Poland. My country disappeared from the map of Europe at the end of the 18th century, and its eastern lands belonged to the Russian Empire until World War I.

Nevertheless, I am fascinated by those times. In the middle of the Białowieża Primeval Forest you can still feel the atmosphere of the last Romanovs.
For hundreds of years, the Białowieża Primeval Forest was a hunting ground for Polish kings who had their hunting lodge here. After the partitions of Poland, the former hunting lodge was destroyed in the first half of the 19th century during the November Uprising (Polish national uprising against the Russian Empire). In 1894, Tsar Alexander III completed the construction of the tsar's palace in Białowieża.

Unfortunately, the palace didn't survive in our times. We can only admire the governor's mansion, which was built 50 years earlier than the palace.

The palace gate, which housed a guardhouse and an armory, has also been preserved.

The tsarist palace was demolished in the 1960s as a result of the decisions of the communist Polish authorities. We can see it only in old photos.

_{unknown photographer of tsar's family, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons}

Today in its place is the seat of the Białowieża National Park. I regret very much that the palace has not survived to our times. I hate radical ideologies so much.

But there is one more place in Białowieża, where you can feel the atmosphere of a bygone era.

In 1903 for Tsar Nicholas II built the railway station "Białowieża Towarowa". The wooden buildings of the station have survived to this day. The railway line operated until the '90s. After its liquidation, the buildings passed from hand to hand, and finally, at the beginning of the 21st century, the new owners renovated the station and arranged it as a "time machine".

In the main building, a Tsar Restaurant was opened.

The interior design refers to tsarist times.

The restaurant offers Polish-Russian cuisine delicacies; and also favorite Polish desserts. I tried a hot apple pie with ice cream. Yummy! I think the tsar would like it.

After a delicious meal, it is worth going for a little walk. There are also tables on the platform, and in summer, it's full of guests.

Old trains can be seen a little further.

Some railroad wagons were transformed into luxury apartments for tourists, decorated in the style of tsarist salons. Apartments for rent are also located in the historic water tower and the smaller buildings of the former station.

There was so quiet there in the off-season; it was easy for me to believe that I went over 100 years back in time.

A little further there is a small station where you can rent a handcar and ride a disused railway line.

It's such a beautiful, mysterious place. Just a dozen or so minutes walk, and you are in the middle of primeval forest, close to wild animals. Once a favorite destination of Polish kings and Russian tsars, today a mecca for tourists.

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_{I am the only author of the text and all photos exept one (public domain).}

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