Masuria is a landscape shaped by the ice sheet: moraines, tunnel valleys and more than two thousand lakes, the largest of which, Śniardwy, covers 113 square kilometres. The region belonged to East Prussia, and until 1945 its population was mainly Lutheran and Masurian, speaking both Polish and German.
The Great Lakes route
From Węgorzewo in the north to Ruciane-Nida in the south runs a system of lakes joined by canals cut in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, giving over a hundred kilometres of navigable water without portaging. It is the most popular sailing area in Poland. Yachts up to a certain length can be chartered without a licence, and in July and August the marinas fill from mid-afternoon.
The towns
Mikołajki is the informal sailing capital, with a marina, a promenade and crowds in season. Giżycko lies between two lakes and has a swing bridge of 1889, still turned by hand, and the Boyen fortress. Ryn and Węgorzewo have Teutonic castles. Out of season all of it is quiet and cheap.
Nature
The Masurian Landscape Park and the reserves around Lake Łuknajno protect colonies of mute swans, and the Pisz Forest is one of the larger woodland complexes in the country. The region lies on a migration route and cranes are audible in spring. Further north and east, in the Romincka Forest and along the Biebrza, elk are common.
The Wolf's Lair
Hitler's headquarters at Gierłoż, a complex of eighty concrete bunkers in the forest, where Claus von Stauffenberg placed a bomb on 20 July 1944. The Germans blew the site up in 1945, so what remains are tilted slabs with walls up to eight metres thick. The site is open and heavily commercialised, which has drawn criticism.
Święta Lipka and the Elbląg Canal
The basilica at Święta Lipka is one of the finest baroque churches in Poland, with a famous organ whose figures move. The Elbląg Canal, built between 1848 and 1860, carries boats between lakes of different levels on slipways over dry land, an arrangement unique in the world.
Practicalities
The nearest airport is Szymany near Szczytno. A car helps considerably, since public transport between the lakes is sparse. The season runs May to September, with July and August meaning full marinas and high prices.