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The Great Masurian Lakes

Poland Travel Guide

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Beautiful landscape of the masurian lakes during a sunset in Poland.

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Overview

The Great Masurian Lake district (Kraina Wielkich Jezior Mazurskich), east of Olsztyn, is a verdant land of rolling hills dotted with countless lakes, healthy little farms, scattered tracts of forest and small towns. The district is centred on Lake Śniardwy (114 sq km), Poland’s largest lake, and Lake Mamry and its adjacent waters (an additional 104 sq km). Over 15% of the area is covered by water and another 30% by forest.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Wolf's Lair ( Wolfsschanze, Wolfschanze, Wilczy Szaniec), Adolf Hitler' military headquarters in World War II. Gierloz near Ketrzyn, Poland. The attempted assassination of Hitler took place here.; Shutterstock ID 674053669; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiT Destination Page Images

    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,…

  • Boyen Fortress

    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

    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…

  • Rotary Bridge

    Rotary Bridge

    The Great Masurian Lakes

    Giżycko’s working rotary bridge was built in 1889 and is the only one of its kind in the country. Despite weighing more than 100 tonnes, it can be turned…

  • Castle

    Castle

    The Great Masurian Lakes

    Kętrzyn’s Teutonic past lives on in the form of its mid-14th-century brick castle on the southern edge of the town centre. Today the building is home to…

  • Water Tower

    Water Tower

    The Great Masurian Lakes

    Built in 1900 in neo-Gothic style, Giżycko’s seven-storey Water Tower supplied the city with running water until 1997. Today the tall red-brick structure…

  • St George’s Church

    St George’s Church

    The Great Masurian Lakes

    With its squat, square tower, the Gothic church looks like the town’s second fortress from a distance. Its interior has furnishings and decoration dating…

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