The park’s landscape was to a large extent shaped by a glacier which covered this region around 12,000 years ago.

Altogether, there are 42 of them, the biggest, Wigry, covering an area of 21.87 km2 with a maximum depth of 73 meters, is located in the central part of the park.

The main river is Czarna Hańcza, which crosses Lake Wigry, and forms a popular kayaking route.

The first attempts to protect the nature of Lake Wigry and its surrounding area were undertaken in the 1920s – first by Kazimierz Kulwieć and later by the botanist Bolesław Hryniewiecki and the limnologist Alfred Lityński – but never came to fruition.

In 1975, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) placed Lake Wigry on its list of the most valuable water reservoirs in the world (Project "Aqua").

[2] In 2002, Wigry National Park was inscribed on the Ramsar Convention list of wetlands of international importance.

The Park’s area is to a large extent covered by peat bogs, which are in some places of pristine character.

Fishing anglers as well as sailboats take advantage of the biggest lakes including Wigry, Pierty, Leszczewek and Mulaczysko.