Mragowo

The exceptional beauty of the landscape, the allure of Mother Nature and the well-developed recreational centres attract large numbers of visitors from Poland and abroad. Mragowo, a small town of 23,000 people in the Masuria Lakeland, is geared up to supply your needs when you need that active break. There are a host of attractions you can indulge in, such as white water kayaking, hiking, horse-and-coach trips, bike rides, horse riding, gorgeous crystal clear lakes with beaches unpolluted by man, and a number of annual festivals. Interested? With this number of attractions, you are bound to fall in love with Mragowo, and it will probably be love at first sight.

Mragowo TOURISM

Understanding the advantages derived from tourism, the past few years has seen the town hall backing a number for pro-ecological projects. This tourist friendly policy has resulted in the building of an esplanade along Lake Czos. Moreover, a mini-town known as Mrongoville has been created in the cowboy western style, as well as the adaptation of the Mountain of Four Winds to develop it into a winter sports centre. Mrongoville will be an entertainment and recreation facility, a reproduction of an original town from the American Wild West, with numerous attractions like country music, shops, hotel, bank, prison and a sheriff, all styled in the mood of the period.

If you are interested in historic buildings, then Mragowo has several old churches, a town hall, and old tenements on Roosevelta, Krolewiecka and Warszawska streets. You should also see the Museum of Mragowo, where temporary exhibitions are held of local and regional art work.

The town has a well-developed accommodation sector with over 1500 places to meet the needs of business people and tourists alike, in hotels, boarding houses, or private accommodation. The largest leisure facility in the town is provided by Mrongovia Hotel, which boasts its newly opened water recreation complex, Resort & Spa. The availability of food and drink is good, with a wide choice that includes everything from bars and fish & chip shops to pizzerias and restaurants.

Although a relatively small town, Mragowo is recognised nationwide and abroad for its festivals. The town hosts events like the Mazurska Noc Kabaretowa, Piknik Country and Festiwal Kultury Kresowej, to mention just a few.

GEOGRAPHY

Mragowo is a picture-postcard town lying in the heart of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodship, about 60 km from Olsztyn, sandwiched between the lakes of Czos and Juno. It is the capital of the region’s lake district, whose landscape was shaped during the last glacial period and is variegated by postglacial channel lakes. The Krutynia and Dajna rivers provide one of the most picturesque kayak routes in Europe, while the south-eastern district belongs to the Masurian Landscape Park and has a large number of beech trees, some of which are over 140 years old.

HISTORY

The first written record of the town was as a small settlement near a castle of the Teutonic Knights and dates from 1338. Granted a town charter by Commander Jan von Sayn in 1404-1407, Mragowo remained outside Poland until the end of World War II. Destroyed and rebuilt many times between the 16th and 19th centuries, Mragowo was spared during World War II, a circumstance that helped the town to grow and develop into an important local tourist centre.