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The Mragowo Lakeland
Mragowo Village
History The Teutonic Knights constructed a wooden fortress named Sensburg near present-day Mragowo in 1348. The settlement that began to develop near the castle in 1397 probably received town rights between 1404 and 1407, although it is verified that Grand Master Konrad von Erlichshausen affirmed town rights in 1444. Sensburg became part of the Duchy of Prussia in 1525. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the town suffered through fires and plagues. Part of the Kingdom of Prussia since 1701, Sensburg was heavily damaged during the Napoleonic Wars.
The town itself mostly remained a small hamlet in the mostly rural area around it. Agriculture, fishing and the richness of the surrounding forests provided the sources of income for the local population. In 1871 Sensburg became part of the German Empire during the Prussian-led unification of Germany. In 1897 the town became connected to the railway system, which went from Bischofsburg (Biskupiec) to Rastenburg (Ketrzyn). As a result of the treaty of Versailles on 11 July 1920 the East Prussian plebiscite was organized under the control of the League of nations, which resulted 99,93 % of votes to remain in Germany (33.334 total) and 0,07 % for Poland (25 total). At the end of World War II the town was heavily damaged and lost almost 20% of its buildings. The German population was largely expelled after the war and replaced with Poles. From 1945 to 1947 the city was known by the Polonized name Zadzbork. The city's name was, After the war Mragowo remained a rural town with approximately 10,000 inhabitants; this number stayed almost constant until the late 1980s. In the following decade, mostly due to economic and political changes, the town gained some influence in the region and grew quickly into a regional center for economic business and tourism. Recently Mragowo has tried to regain some of its former beauty and to represent the region. Piknik Country is an annual country music festival held in the town. |
Owing to its attractive location among lakes and forests as well as its various tourist attractions, Mragowo serves as the summer capital of the region. Lovers of leisure activities can come here for canoeing, hiking, cycling, excursions by coach, horse riding, and sunbathing on the clean beaches by the lakes. The town offers many interesting hiking routes, cycle tracks and waterways leading to places such as Ketrzyn, Sorkwity, Reszel, Swieta Lipka and the Great Masurian Lakes.
The town (formerly called Ządźbork), with its population of 23.000 residents is the capital of Mrągowo Lake District. It is situated between lakes Czos and Juno. It stands on the crossroads to Giżycko, Olsztyn and Ełk. It is just around 90 km to the State border with the Kaliningrad district and the border crossing in Bezledy. The town is also crossed by the railway line from Olsztyn to Ełk. Two airfields nearby the town can be used during the tourist season for tourist flights.
like other Prussian cities, changed to the current Mragowo in 1947, in honor of Pastor Christoph Mrongovius (1764-1855), known in Polish as Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongowiusz.
