Iława

First mentions of the lands where Iława is situated date back to 1226 when Duke Konrad I of Masovia issued a document heralding the Order of Teutonic Knights and after the conquest of Prussia in 1283, the territory was in the process of colonization. The town was established by the commander Sieghard von Schwarzburg in 1305. In the same year, Iława was granted a town charter. Iława is located in the Iława Lake District, in the territory of the Green Lungs of Poland, in southern end of the longest lake in Poland – Jeziorak. In the administrative borders of the town there is Wielka Żuława situated – the largest inland island in Poland of 82.4 hectares. Iława is one of the largest towns in Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province. Well developed transport accessibility causes that tourists traveling both by motor vehicles as well as train may reach this place easily. The Iławka River goes through the town and it is surrounded by beautiful forests and lakes. Numerous monuments are witnesses of history. Thanks to perfect location of this corner of the country, in Iława and surroundings, hiking, bicycle touring and water tourism has been developing. Particularly the latter is accelerated by the Jeziorak Lake in a close neighborhood, where there are a lot of marinas and water equipment rentals. Admirers of this kind of active leisure, will take adventage of the goods offered by the natural environment of this territory. An additional attraction are numerous canoe trails which cover with their routes nearby basins and towns. A well-prepared tourists accommodation , including hotels of every standard, boarding houses, marinas, water equipment rentals, restaurants and cafes, is waiting for everyone. A well-developed sport, recreational and cultural infrastructure is a big advantage of the town. Modern sports fields complex, extreme sports center, sports and show hall as well as tourist and recreation center with a swimming pool, salt chamber and bowling alley are waiting for tourists. Children who have come to Iława, may try their hand at the Road Traffic Park or may use a recreational pump truck. One may also use a water tram around the lake. Nightlife in Iława pulsates in many places: discos, pubs and clubs. Sightseeing in Iława may be also combined with finding the culinary offer of the town.

Couple words from the guide:

“Dear All, the town of 34 thousand residents by the Jeziorak Lake, the longest lake in Poland, is worth visiting regardless of the time of the year. In this town history and tradition blend with modernity. Since you are our guests, we highly recommend taking a walk around the most interesting corners of the former capital of Oberland. We start from the Iława town hall, the most representative neo-baroque building in the town, erected over the period of 1910-1912. The town hall was seriously damaged by the Red Army and partially rebuilt and served as a market hall until 1995. Since 1995 it has been the seat of the town authorities. When we go towards the “Pasja” cinema and theatre, the building was erected at the end of the 19th century for a town hall, over the period of 1916-1922 it was converted into a theatre. Later we descend to the blanks of the longest lake in Poland, the Jeziorak Lake and more precisely Small Jeziorak Lake, and then we enter the church square by the remains of the town moat. We may see a very beautiful mass of the Transfiguration Church, erected in the first half of the 14th century as well as an impressive steeple from the first quarter of the 16th century. In the church crypts eminent residents of Iława are buried and the church itself still keeps its secrets. Next to the church, you may a small piece of the town walls and the former presbytery of the Reverend Schnitzenbaumer. Nearby there is an enormous Quercus Robur planted by the Prussian authorities in spite of a categorical opposition of the church authorities. Then we go to the centre of the former courtyard which is the only remain of the Iława Old Town. We enter the Władysław Bandurski Square and we go towards a place where it used to be a central part of Iława, that is the Old Town with the town hall. Niepodległości Street is a former Cesarska Street (Kaiserstrasse) – we will be able to see there historic tenements and a neo-ghotic building of the First Gymnasium.”

The above texts came from Tourist Advisor issued on behalf of the City Hall in Iława (www.ilawa.pl).
Sources of images:
"Mały Jeziorak" photo: turqsova.wordpress.com, town hall: ilawa.pl, Iława bird's eye view: Michał Krzysztofiak, image source: facebook.com/infoilawa