The vast low-lying regions in the center of the Eastern European plains have long borne the name of Meshchyora. In prehistoric times they were part of a gigantic forested area that extended from the Bialowieza Forest in the west to the Urals in the east. In days of yore, the thick Meshchorya forest served as a sanctuary – for princes’ military retinues hiding from Mongol attacks, for runaway serfs, and for swashbuckling bandits. These lands have historically had a reputation as a deep, dark, even enchanted place, the home of myriad forest sprits: rusalki (water nymphs) and vodyanie (water sprites), leshie (forest spirits) and Solovey Razboynik (Nightingale the Robber). Today, mythological and fairy-tale characters can be seen adorning nature trails: in 1992 Meshchyora National Park was established as a protected area. The forests and swamps are being restored, bird populations tracked and looked after, and the European bison bred and cared for.