Empress Maria Feodorovna (third from the right) and her accompanying persons during the rest in the forest. Spala.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha became the property of the royal family in 1888 in exchange for lands in the Orel and Simbirsk provinces. After the construction of the Belovezhsky Imperial Palace was completed, Alexander III, Nicholas II, Grand Dukes often hunted in the Pushcha. In the town of Bialowieza (now Poland) a palace was built - a luxurious hunting residence with a beautiful park of 50 hectares. Only the entrance gates and several surrounding structures survived. There are numerous photographs of Nicholas II during the hunt in these places. Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna reported with great enthusiasm on September 21, 1912 from Spala to her aunt - Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna. "My dear Aunt Xenia ...": "It was terribly fun in Bialowieza. We went with Papa to hunt Olga and I. Marie was with Anastasia only twice." I stood two times with Papa on the number, since Prince Golitsyn, Prince Beloselsky and once at Drentina. "It was terribly good."