Polonezköy, a Polish Village in the Forest

In the forested hills of Beykoz, an hour from Istanbul, there is a village where Polish surnames are read on the street signs. Polonezköy was founded in 1842 by Polish emigrés who took refuge in the Ottoman Empire after the uprising against Russia; for a time it was called Adampol. Families of Polish descent still live in the village of a few hundred, and its breakfast gardens are a weekend escape for Istanbulites. Getting there: Public transport is thin; a car is the practical option. Turn onto the Polonezköy road from Kavacık and drive 20 minutes through the forest. You can also take a bus to Beykoz and a village minibus from there, but services are sparse and stop in the afternoon. On weekends a queue of cars forms at the village entrance after 10 a.m. The day: On arrival see the wooden houses on the main street, the small Catholic church and the cemetery; the Polish names on the gravestones tell the village's story. A small memorial house (the Zofia Ryży House) exhibits documents of the Polish migration. Then the main business: a late, long breakfast. The gardens serve village cheese, honey, butter and — the village's distinguishing feature — pork sausage and ham; this is how Polish cooking seeps onto the plates. In the afternoon walk in Polonezköy Nature Park. Marked trails run through oak and chestnut forest; the shortest is 3 km and opens onto picnic areas. Snow in winter and golden-red leaves in autumn turn the walk into a different experience. Horse farms and adventure parks around the village are extra options for families. Food: Breakfast gardens are hard to get into on weekends without a reservation; weekdays are calm. For lunch and dinner, village restaurants may offer Polish pierogi and bigos, though Turkish cooking dominates the menus. Return: Leaving between 5 and 6 p.m. avoids the traffic. Descending to the Black Sea coast via Riva and returning by the Şile road is a long but scenic alternative. Practical notes: Closed shoes for the forest walk, and insect repellent for ticks and mosquitoes in summer. ATMs are limited in the village, so carry cash. For those staying overnight there are guesthouses and forest hotels, which fill early on weekends.