Warmia & Masuria

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Overview

There’s something in the water in these two northeast regions bordering the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad – mostly hundreds of sailors, windsurfers and kayakers who come to make a splash in the Great Masurian Lakes, which dominate the landscape. There’s more aqua fun to be had here than in the rest of the country put together, and if water sports are your thing, this is your place.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Wolf's Lair

The Great Masurian Lakes

Hidden in thick forest near the hamlet of Gierłoż, 8km east of Kętrzyn, is one of Poland’s eeriest historical relics – 18 overgrown hectares of huge,…

Church of Our Lady

Warmia & Masuria

Built between 1687 and 1693, and later surrounded by an ample rectangular cloister, the hugely popular church was built around four identical corner…

Castle

Warmia & Masuria

This stocky, square-set red-brick fortress, adorned with corner turrets, is probably Warmia’s most significant cultural gem. Enter from the south through…

Boyen Fortress

The Great Masurian Lakes

The Boyen Fortress was built between 1844 and 1856 to protect the kingdom’s border with Russia, and was named after the then Prussian minister of war,…

Łuknajno Reserve

The Great Masurian Lakes

The shallow 700-hectare Lake Łuknajno, 4km east of Mikołajki, shelters Europe’s largest surviving community of wild swans (Cygnus olor) and is home to…

Museum of Warmia & Masuria

Warmia & Masuria

A well-rubbed bronze of Copernicus welcomes you to Olsztyn's massive red-brick 14th-century castle, the most important historic building in town. And it's…

Museum of the Grunwald Battlefield

Warmia & Masuria

Built on the central hill of the battlefield where combined Polish and Lithuanian troops led by King Władysław II Jagiełło defeated the army of the…

House of the Olsztyn Gazette

Warmia & Masuria

The Museum of Warmia and Masuria’s main annexe is housed in the former Gazeta Olsztyńska newspaper building. The Polish paper was famed for its outspoken…

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