3 August 2005

Thanks to its cultural and natural wealth, as well as entertainment opportunities, Mazuria draws increasing numbers of both Polish and foreign tourists. Thanks to its developed aquatic sport facilities, the Polish "land of a thousand lakes" is particularly attractive to active leisure fans.

However, Mazuria is not all water and beautiful nature. The region has an interesting and rich history, reflected by numerous castles and buildings available for sightseeing. A majority are castles and strongholds that once belonged to the Teutonic Knights as well as fortified seats of Polish bishops. The most exquisite castles can be found in Lidzbark Warmiński, Olsztyn-the castle on the Łyna River and in Reszel the stronghold on the steep bank of the Sajna River.

Places worth visiting include: the chapterhouse in Frombork, which also has a Gothic cathedral and a museum devoted to local astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, the Teutonic castle in Stary Dzieżgoń, where a peace treaty between the Teutonic Order and Prussia was signed in 1240 and the palace complex in Kamieniec.

Picturesque ruins of historic fortifications stand in Braniewo, at the Smysarna riverbend (Jeziorany), in Kwidzyn and Szymbark. Slightly further to the north, on the Elbląg Elevation near Tolkmicko, is another extraordinary reminder of the land's ancient history-the Sacred Rock with a circumference of about 14 meters, once used by Prussian tribes during pagan rituals.

Hitler and the Teutonic Knights
The Warmia-Mazuria province is site of the famous Grunwald (Tannenberg) fields, where in July 1410 Polish-Lithuanian knights defeated the forces of the Teutonic Order, which controlled the northern part of today's Poland in the Middle Ages. The victory is commemorated by a monument to the Grunwald Victory erected on the 550th anniversary of the battle. The memorial is part of a complex consisting of an amphitheater, museum, cinema and a map showing the positions of the armies before the battle. Every year on July 15, the battle's anniversary, the historic event is reenacted.

Due to its dark and relatively recent past, the famous Wolf's Lair in the village of Gierłoż (Görlitz) is of particular interest for tourists. It was one of Hitler's headquarters, where a failed assassination attempt was carried out in July 1944.

Of forests and feasts
Olsztyn is the capital of Warmia and Mazuria. It has one of Europe's oldest ethnographic parks, with 52 items of folk architecture from Warmia and Mazuria, Powiśle, Sambia, Barcja and Kłajpeda. The sights include a Gothic castle of the Warmia chapter dating back to the second half of the 16th century, the Old Town, the 14th-century Cathedral of St. Jacob and a Jewish cemetery with a house of mourning designed by Erich Mendelson. Be sure to visit the planetarium and observatory located in the 19th-century water tower.

Part of the region's appeal is the local cuisine, served among other places at Nidzica Castle, the host of medieval feasts whose guests dress in period costumes and gorge themselves on roast suckling pig, smoked fish, kasha, fresh baked bread with smalec and mulled mead or a unique castle wine.

Scenic parks
To protect the most valuable natural complexes of the Warmia-Mazuria province, some areas were sectioned off to create the Mazuria Scenic Park with a territory of 40,000 hectares (including 18,000 ha of forests and 15,000 ha water). Within its confines are lakes Mokre and Śniardwy. Also in the Mazurian Lake District, a total of 114 nature reserves are situated, including Czerwone Bagno, Czapliniec Bełda (a bird sanctuary-a pine forest with a grey heron colony), Rogożno Zamek, Wyspa na Jeziorze Partęczyny Wielkie, Cisowy Jar (part of a natural deciduous forest with the largest yew stand in the Mazurian Lake District).

The total number of historic trees in the region is 1,060, with Royal Oaks in Ruciane or the Oak on the Mukre (Mokre), located on the Mokre lakeshore. There are also 139 moraine boulders, whose circumferences reach 19 meters. Nature reserves also include moraine fields, named Fuledzki Rów, Dobieński Rów and Bachmanowo.

Fine feathered friends
The Mazurian nature reserves are home to floating tree-covered islands and Poland's only predatory plant-the sundew. Forests constitute over 30 percent of the region. Today, none of them are completely wild, but there are substantial remnants of the primeval forests. The area's largest forest complex, and at the same time one of the biggest dense forest complexes in Poland, is Piska Forest (965 sq km). It has rich spruce-pine forests and many picturesque finger lakes. Other sizable forest areas include Borecka Forest, Purdzkie, Ramudzkie, Napiwodzkie, Taborskie and Dzierzgońskie Forests. They delight with their beauty throughout the year, yet have the most charm in the autumn, when the leaves glow with a variety of colors.

The region is sometimes referred to as a bird paradise. Birds living in the forests, lakes, rivers, bogs, meadows and fields create a rich diversity of over 350 species.

The Mazurian Lake District has some backwoods, created to preserve the original fauna. Within them, attempts are made to reinstate European bison, elk and beaver. These areas are home to deer, roe deer, wild boar and hare. There are also some insectivorous mammals such as hedgehogs, moles and shrews. Other Mazurian animals include wolves, lynx, fox, pine martens, badgers and bats.

By land or water
One of the many attractions of river navigation is the historic Elbląg-Ostróda Canal with an over century-old system of locks and ramps. During the summer, one may admire the branched navigation routes of Iława Lake District and the Land of the Great Mazurian Lakes from passenger boats. Short cruises are organized on Lake Drwęckie in Ostróda, Lake Jeziorak in Iława and around Giżycko. Many popular holiday centers are located near the lakes, including Giżycko, Mikołajki, Ruciane-Nida, Węgorzewo, Ostróda, Stare Jabłonki, Piławki, Wilkasy or Kamień. There are also cruises from Frombork through the Vistula Lagoon to Krynica Morska on the Vistula Sandbar.

The Mazuria region provides many opportunities for navigation, canoeing or hiking trips along marked trails. The most interesting navigation routes are Giżycko-Węgorzewo, Giżycko-Mikołajki-Ruciane Nida, Mikołajki-Pisz, Mikołajki-Ryn.

The most popular Mazurian canoe trail leads through several lakes connected by short rivers or rivulets (known collectively as the Krutynia River). Another popular route is the Sapina River trail in the northeastern part of the Mazurian Lake District.

Not everyone knows that Mazuria is also an excellent winter sports destination. The Góra Krzyżowa sport center in Lidzbark Warmiński has artificially snowed ski routes with various levels of difficulty, a toboggan track and a ski jump. In the summer, some of these structures are used by cyclists.

Visitor statistics confirm Mazuria's increasing popularity-according to the Institute of Tourism, about 10 percent of all tourists visiting Poland in 2004 stayed in the region.


Mazuria-a geographical and historical region including mainly the Mazurian Lake District. In the early Middle Ages inhabited by a pagan Prussian tribe, from the 13th century to 1525 it belonged to the Teutonic State (Polish fiefdom since 1466), after which it became part of the Ducal Prussia, later East Prussia. The region's name comes from the Mazurians, a people of the Lutheran faith who practiced Polish language and customs. After World War I the region was incorporated into Germany, except for the Działdowo area. Persecutions of Polish organizations increased after Hitler assumed power and reached their peak during World War II (many Mazurian activists were murdered in German concentration camps). After World War II, Mazuria was united with Poland; this time Polish-speaking Mazurians were oppressed by the communist government. As a result, many abandoned their Polish heritage and emigrated to Germany. Mazuria was repopulated largely with repatriates from the eastern areas of prewar Poland, mainly the Vilnius region.

Warmia is a historic land situated east of the Pasłęka River and stretching to Reszel. In the 13th century, it was conquered by the Teutonic Knights, who founded a diocese and a partially independent Warmia dominion. By the authority of the second Toruń peace treaty, which ended the 13-year war between Poland and the Teutonic Order, Warmia became part of Poland together with Royal Prussia, retaining a limited independence. During the partitions it was incorporated into Prussia (1772), and only returned to Poland in 1945.

The Warmia-Mazuria province has a territory of 24,203 sq km and is inhabited by 1.5 million people. It encompasses 16 urban communes, 69 rural communes and 31 urban-rural communes. Its capital is Olsztyn. Other big cities in the province include Elbląg and Ełk.

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