Masurian Lake District
| Masurian Lake District
Pojezierze Mazurskie
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| Highest peak | Dylewska Góra ( 312 m ) | |
| location | Warmia-Masuria , Poland | |
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| Coordinates | 54 ° 0 ′ N , 22 ° 0 ′ E | |
The Masurian Lake District (Polish Pojezierze Mazurskie ), formerly also the Prussian Lake District (Polish Pojezierze Pruskie ), is a macro region and lake landscape in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland .
etymology
The name goes back to the West Slavic Masurian tribe , which was formed mainly from the Masovians , who settled the region from the south of Mazovia in several settlements from the 12th century.
location
The Masurian Lake District is located in the southwestern part of the Baltic Land Ridge and is part of the East Baltic Lake District , which in turn is part of the East Baltic-Belarusian Plain . The Lithuanian Lake District joins in the east and the Eylau Lake District in the west . In the north lies the Nizina Staropruska and in the south the North Mazovian Plain .
structure
The macroregion of the Masurian Lake District is divided into seven mesoregions :
- Allenstein Lake District
- Sensburger Lake District
- Great Masurian Lakes
- Rapped land
- Seesker heights
- Lycker Lake District
- Równina Mazurska
geology
The Masurian Lake District consists of a large number of lakes in a moraine landscape. Characteristic of this landscape are glacial channels between the hills, created by the erosive effect of the meltwater when the glaciers melted , which later took up the lakes. The lake district has a size of about 1700 km². The Kashubian , the Pomeranian , the Suwałki Lake District and the Greater Poland Lake District are similar in terms of development history and landscape .
Lakes
The two largest lakes in the Masurian Lake District are the Śniardwy (Spirdingsee) (113.8 km²) and the Mamry (Mauersee) (104 km²), which are also the largest lakes in Poland. Other important lakes in the region are Niegocin (Löwentinsee, Lötzener See) , Nidzkie (Niedersee) , Roś (Roschsee, Warschausee) and Tałty (Talter waters) . All lakes together make up 7% of the area. There are around 2,700 lakes in Masuria, each over a hectare in size. Together they form a large freshwater reservoir.
Rivers
The Masurian Lake District drains mainly to the south via the Narew , the Bug and the Vistula into the Gdańsk Bay of the Baltic Sea . Flow southwards:
The northern part of the Masurian Lake District around Lake Mamry drains over the Angerapp and Pregel into the Fresh Lagoon of the Baltic Sea. Flow northwards:
One of the most popular kayaking routes in Poland is the Krutynia (Kruttinnen River) , which flows over 100 km through dozen of the Masurian lakes before flowing into the Pisa . In the east of the lake district, the river Sapina (Sapinen) with approx. 50 km is a popular kayak route, which also leads through numerous lakes before it flows into the Angerapp .
channels
Many of the lakes are connected by canals such as the Oberland Canal . The Kanał Tałcki ( Talter Canal) connects Lake Tałty (Talter Waters) with Jezioro Tałtowisko (Taltowisko Lake, Little Talter Lake) . Large parts of the lake district up to the Baltic Sea can be navigated through these channels .
Moraines
The highest moraines in the area are the Kernsdorfer Höhe ( 312 m ) in the south-west of the lake district and the Seesker Berg ( 309 m ) in the north-east in the Seesker heights .
colonization
The Masurian Lake District is sparsely populated. The only big city is Olsztyn . The more important small towns in the region are:
- Ełk (Elk)
- Giżycko (Lötzen)
- Kętrzyn (Rastenburg)
- Mikołajki (Nikolaiken)
- Mrągowo (Sensburg)
- Pisz (Johannisburg)
- Reszel (Rößel)
- Ryn (Rhine)
- Węgorzewo (Angerburg)
nature
flora
Large parts of the Masurian Lake District are overgrown by dense primeval forests. The largest forest areas include the Johannisburger Heide in the south and the Rominter Heide in the northeast.
fauna
The Masurian Lake District is rich in wildlife. Numerous large mammals such as bison , elk , deer , roe deer , wild boar , beaver , wolf , lynx , fox , marten and badger live in the dense forests . The bird world is represented with over 350 species. There are golden eagles , hawks , buzzards , falcons , herons , cranes and cormorants . Common amphibians and reptiles are turtles , newts , lizards and various types of snakes . The Masurian lakes have always been known for their abundance of fish. There are catfish , pike , perch , eel , carp , trout and many other species. Insects include butterflies , bees , dragonflies, and many others.
natural reserve
Around 40 percent of the Masurian Lake District is protected.
Landscape park
The Masurian Landscape Park occupies approx. 40,000 hectares, of which approx. 18,000 hectares are primeval forests and 15,000 hectares of water surface. There are 114 nature reserves in the landscape protection park. Among other things, the Śniardwy (Spridingsee) is located here .
Nature reserves
The reserve around Lake Łuknajno (Lucknainer See) near Nikolaiken, where a large colony of mute swans lives, is under special protection as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO . The approximately 100 km long Krutynia River (Kruttinnen River) also has the status of a reserve. The river, which connects many lakes, can be used by water sports enthusiasts for kayak or canoe tours.
economy
Due to the lack of industry and the barren sandy soil, the region in Poland is considered to be economically weak. The economy is mainly focused on forestry, timber industry and services, especially tourism.
tourism
The Masurian Lake District is an important tourist destination with a large number of marinas , bathing areas, fishing opportunities, landing stages, developed long-distance hiking and long-distance cycling paths, campsites , hotels and restaurants . To secure shipping traffic, a storm warning system was set up on the water route in 2011 , with which water sports enthusiasts can be made aware of bad weather conditions.
Water sports can be practiced on the lakes and canals. Four sailing routes are signposted with markings:
The most famous kayak routes lead along the rivers:
- Krutynia (approx. 100 km long starting at Sorkwity )
- Sapina (approx. 50 km long starting at Kruklin )
The main marked hiking trails include:
- Gałczyński hiking trail
- Małłek hiking trail
- Masurian circular hiking trail
- Great hiking trail of the humpbacked Masuria
- Kajka hiking trail
people
The writer Fritz Skowronnek was an important expert on the Masurian lakes . As a sailor, Karol Jabłoński is familiar with them.
See also
literature
- August Eduard Preuss : Prussian country and folklore . Königsberg 1835, pp. 54-58.
- Norbert von Frankenstein : Water sports and travel guide Masurian Lake District: district guide - trip planner - shore leave. Busse-Seewald Verlag, 1996, ISBN 3-512-03156-0 .
- Rüdiger J. Steinacher: Captain's Handbook Masurian Lake District: District guide - trip planner - shore leave. IWS Verlag, Germering 2014, ISBN 978-3-925750-26-7 .
Web links
Individual evidence
Babia Gora (1976) | Bialowieza (1976) | Masurian Lakes (1976) | Slowinski (1976) | Karkonosze / Giant Mountains (1992) | Tatra Mountains (1992) | Eastern Carpathians (1998) | Puszcza Kampinoska (2000) | Tucheler Heide (2010) | Western Poland (2012) | Roztocze (2019)