Warmia and Mazury is a region with outstanding tourist and recreational attractions. It is called the land of thousand lakes, despite the fact that there are over twice as many lakes there. The biggest lakes are Śniadrwy (113.8 km2) and Mamry (104.4 km2). The deepest lakes include Wukśniki (68m), Babięta Wielkie (65m), Piłakno (56,6m) and Ełckie (55,8m). Some of these lakes, connected via canals and rivers, create water routes several kilometres long. The Elbląski Canal, with a system of canal inclined planes that allow ship travelling on land, is the most characteristic attraction of the region.
The abundance of the Voivodeship are forests and primeval forests that cover nearly 30% of its area with numerous landscape parks and nature reserves.
Human creations supplement the beauty of natural landscape: perfectly preserved Gothic castles, churches and palaces. Out of the list of 100 unique historical monuments of Poland, prepared by the “Rzeczpospolita” daily paper, 16 are situated in the Warmia and Mazury Region. These tourist attractions attract 5 million tourists a year on average and every fifth tourist is a foreigner. There are over 34 thousand accommodation places in the region.
The Grundwald Battlefields, where the allied Polish and Lithuanian armies defeated the Teutonic power in 1410, attract a number of tourists. Open air shows that bring the spirit of these times and the knights’ culture take place on the anniversary of this event. Ruins of the former headquarters of Hitler in Gierłoża near Kętrzyn and the Museum of Folk Housing Development in Olsztynek are very popular as well.
source: www.wrota.warmia.mazury.pl