Sights in Warmia & Masuria
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
Yacht Charters
Giżycko has the largest number of yacht-charter agencies in the area, and accordingly offers the widest choice of boats. The town is also a recognised centre for disabled sailors, with regular national regattas, and many companies provide specialist equipment, advice and training.
With yachting such a huge business here, the boat-charter market is highly volatile and operators often change. The tourist office is likely to have the current list of agents (sometimes up to 40) and can provide advice. It's also worth getting a copy of the monthly yachting magazine Żagle, in which plenty of firms advertise, or the multi-lingual Informator Źeglarski.
Finding anything in July …
reviewed
-
Castle and Museum of Warmia & Masuria
The most important historic building in town is the massive, redbrick 14th-century castle. Despite its age, it’s in excellent shape and now houses an art gallery, restaurant and open-air theatre, along with the Museum of Warmia & Masuria. Two rooms on the 1st floor are dedicated to astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who was the administrator of Warmia and lived in the castle for more than three years (1516–20). He made some of his astronomical observations here, and you can still see the diagram he drew on the cloister wall to record the equinox and thereby calculate the exact length of the year. Models of the instruments he used are on display in his former living quarter…
reviewed
-
Castle
The 14th-century brick castle, built at the same time as that in Lidzbark, has retained much of its original form, except for the southern side, which was turned into a Protestant church in the 19th century, with a belfry and a jarring concrete gable added to the top. Today the complex is open to the public and houses a hotel, a restaurant, some function rooms and an art gallery. Go to the top of the castle’s massive cylindrical tower for some views over the red-tiled roofs of the Old Town.
reviewed
-
Museum of Warmia & Masuria Main Annexe
The Museum of Warmia & Masuria main annexe is housed in the former Gazeta Olsztyńska newspaper building. The paper was famed for its outspoken politics under occupation, which swiftly led to the arrest and execution of its publisher in 1940 and the destruction of the offices. Reconstructed, the building now has exhibitions about the city’s and region’s past, and the political role of journalism.
reviewed
-
A
Rotary Bridge
Giżycko's working Rotary Bridge on ul Moniuszki 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 by one person, and is opened six times daily to allow boats through, closing to traffic for between 30 minutes and 1¾ hours each time. If you're travelling by car, circumvent the wait and take the long way round via ul Obwodowa.
reviewed
-
Parish Church
The 14th-century parish church is a large Gothic brick construction with a tall square tower. It was refurnished and redecorated in the 1820s after fires that devastated much of the centre, and has a harmonious though not outstanding interior. If you’d like a birds-eye view of the town with the castle as a backdrop, ascend the church’s tower.
reviewed
-
Fishing Bridge
At the entrance to the Old Town, when arriving from Kętrzyn, is the unusually massive brick Fishing Bridge, also known as the Gothic Bridge (Most Gotycki), built in the 14th century and recently so extensively restored that it looks like new. Don't be fooled by the name - you'd need a long line and a lot more river before you could actually catch anything!
reviewed
-
B
Boyen Fortress
Named after the then Prussian minister of war, General Hermann von Boyen, the Boyen Fortress was built between 1844 and 1856 to protect the kingdom’s border with Russia. Since the frontier ran north–south along the 90km string of lakes, the stronghold was strategically placed in the middle, on the isthmus near Giżycko.
reviewed
-
C
Water Tower
Built in 1900 in neo-Gothic style, Giżycko’s seven-storey Water Tower supplied the city with running water until 1997. Today the tall redbrick structure houses a café and an assortment of memorabilia related to the region, but its big attraction is of course the views it provides over the town and surrounding lakes.
reviewed
-
Rynek
The Rynek (formally called ul Stare Miasto) was destroyed during WWII and rebuilt in a grandiose style only superficially referring to the past. It's best seen at night, when the town hall is lit up with dazzling spotlights and half the population turns out for an evening drink.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Astronomical Observatory
Copernicus fans can get a bit more hands-on at the astronomical observatory, located in an old water tower out to the east of town. It was enjoying a much-needed renovation at the time of writing; check with the tourist office for observation hours and prices.
reviewed
-
Planetarium
For a dramatic look at the heavens, the planetarium has shows and occasional temporary exhibits. Soundtracks in English, German, French and Russian are generally offered during two shows a day, at noon and 2pm.
reviewed
-
Rynek
Reszel's tiny Old Town is centred on the Rynek and its low-key town hall which houses the local tourist office.
reviewed
-
High Gate
The High Gate, the historic gateway to the Old Town, is the only remainder of the 14th-century city walls.
reviewed
-
Pisz Forest
To the southeast is the Pisz Forest, a vast area of thick woodland.
reviewed
