Masurian Lake District
Masurian Lake District
Pojezierze Mazurskie | |
|---|---|
 Śniardwy, the largest lake in Poland, with Pajęcza and Czarci Ostrów Islands | |
 Location of Masurian Lake District in Poland | |
| Coordinates: 54°00′N 22°00′E / 54.000°N 22.000°E | |
| Country | Poland |
| Area | |
• Total | 52,000 km2 (20,000 sq mi) |
| Website | mazury |
The Masurian Lake District or Masurian Lake Land (Polish: Pojezierze Mazurskie) is a lake district in northeastern Poland within the geographical region of Masuria, in the past inhabited by Masurians who spoke the Masurian dialects. It contains more than 2,000 lakes. The district had been elected as one of the 28 finalists of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
The Lakeland extends roughly 290 km (180 mi) eastwards from the lower Vistula to the Poland–Russia border, and occupies an area of roughly 52,000 square kilometres (20,000 sq mi). Administratively, the Lake District lies within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. Small parts of the district lie within the Masovian and Podlaskie Voivodeships.[1]
The lakes are well connected by rivers and canals, forming an extensive system of waterways. The 18th-century Masurian Canal links this system to the Baltic Sea. The whole area is a prime tourist destination, frequented by boating enthusiasts, canoeists, anglers, hikers, bikers and nature-lovers. It is one of the most famous lake districts in Central Europe and a popular vacation spot, with a high number of visitors every year.[1]
Geology
[edit] |
The lake district was shaped by glaciers during the Pleistocene ice age. Many of its hills are parts of moraines and many of its lakes are moraine-dammed lakes.
History
[edit]From the 13th century on, the Lakeland was successively part of the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights, the Duchy of Prussia, and the Prussian province of East Prussia. In modern times, while part of the German Empire, it was the location of the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes (1914) and the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes (1915) during World War I. At the end of World War II (1945) this region fell into the Soviet Union's Zone of Occupation. Stalin arbitrarily placed this zone (excluding the Kaliningrad enclave) under communist Polish administration[2] and its German residents were then brutally expelled, all their properties confiscated.[3]
Historical population
[edit]Mother tongue of the inhabitants of Masuria, by county, during the first half of the 19th century:
| County (German name) | Year | Polish-speakers | % | German-speakers | % | Lithuanian-speakers | % | Total population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gołdap (Goldap) | 1825 | 3940 | 16% | 17412 | 70% | 3559 | 14% | 24911 |
| Olecko (Oletzko) | 1832 | 23302 | 84% | 4328 | 16% | 22 | 0% | 27652 |
| Ełk (Lyck) | 1832 | 29246 | 90% | 3413 | 10% | 4 | 0% | 32663 |
| Węgorzewo (Angerburg) | 1825 | 12535 | 52% | 11756 | 48% | 60 | 0% | 24351 |
| Giżycko (Lötzen) | 1832 | 20434 | 89% | 2528 | 11% | 25 | 0% | 22987 |
| Pisz (Johannisburg) | 1825 | 28552 | 93% | 2146 | 7% | 0 | 0% | 30698 |
| Mrągowo (Sensburg) | 1825 | 22391 | 86% | 3769 | 14% | 5 | 0% | 26165 |
| Szczytno (Ortelsburg) | 1825 | 34928 | 92% | 3100 | 8% | 0 | 0% | 38028 |
| Nidzica (Neidenburg) | 1825 | 27467 | 93% | 2149 | 7% | 1 | 0% | 29617 |
| Ostróda (Osterode) | 1828 | 23577 | 72% | 9268 | 28% | 0 | 0% | 32845 |
| TOTAL | 1825/32 | 226,372 | 78% | 59,869 | 21% | 3,676 | 1% | 289,917 |
Climate
[edit]Masuria has a temperate climate with cold winters and warm summers.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Pojezierze Mazurskie". Najpiękniejsze miejsca w Polsce. VC. Travelling Polska. 2009. Archived from the original (Internet Archive) on August 20, 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
- ^ Balfour, Michael, & Mair, John, Four-Power Control in Germany and Austria 1945-1946, Oxford University Press, U.K., 1956.
- ^ Schieder, Professor Theodor, editor-in-chief, The Expulsion of the German Population from the Territories East of the Oder-Neisse-Line, Published by the Federal Ministry for Expellees, Refuges and War Victims, Bonn, Germany, 1954.
- ^ von Haxthausen, August (1839). Die ländliche verfassung in den einzelnen provinzen der Preussischen Monarchie (in German). Königsberg: Gebrüder Borntraeger Verlagsbuchhandlung. pp. 78–81.
- ^ Jasiński, Grzegorz (2009). "Statystyki językowe powiatów mazurskich z pierwszej połowy XIX wieku (do 1862 roku)" (PDF). Komunikaty Mazursko-Warmińskie (in Polish). 1: 97–130 – via BazHum.
- ^ Belzyt, Leszek (1996). "Zur Frage des nationalen Bewußtseins der Masuren im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert (auf der Basis statistischer Angaben)". Zeitschrift für Ostmitteleuropa-Forschung (in German). Bd. 45, Nr. 1: 35–71. Archived from the original on 2019-10-03. Retrieved 2019-10-03 – via zfo-online.
External links
[edit]- Official website of the World Tourism Organization
- Tourist information, at mazury.info.pl (in Polish)
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