On the Polish side, part of the Białowieża Forest is protected as the Białowieża National Park (Białowieski Park Narodowy). It has a general area of about . There is also the Białowieża Glade (Polana Białowieska). This has several buildings first owned by the tsars of Russia. The tsars were the last private owners of the forest (from 1888 to 1917) when the whole forest was in the Russian Empire. A hotel, restaurant and parking areas are there. Guided tours into the strictly controlled areas of the park can be arranged on foot or by horse-drawn carriage. About 200,000 tourists visit the Polish part of the forest each year. Activities are: bird watching with local ornithologist, watching bisons in their natural environment, and sledge and carriage rides with a bonfire. The popular village of Białowieża is in the forest.