Olsztyn
Oath of Twin Partnership, signed on 19 December 1997
Population: 174 473 inhabitants
Area: 87.89 km²
Country: Poland
Region: Warmian-Masurian Voivodship
President: Czesław Jerzy Małkowski
Location:
Olsztyn is a city in northeast Poland, on the River Łyna. Historically the capital of Warmia, Olsztyn is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999, previously Olsztyn Voivodship (1945-1975 and 1975-1998 in different shapes). Olsztyn is divided into 22 districts.
The city is situated in a lake region of forests and plains. There are 15 lakes inside the administrative bounds of the city (13 with the area greater than 1 ha). The overall area of lakes in Olsztyn is about 725 ha which constitutes 8.25 % of the total city area.
Nature:
More than a half of the forests occupying 21.2 % of the city area forms a single complex of the Municipal Forest (1050 ha) used mainly for recreation and tourism purposes. Within the Municipal Forest area, two sanctuaries of the peat-land flora: Mszar and Redykajny, are situated. Municipal greenery (560 ha, 6.5 % of the city area) developed in the form of numerous parks, green spots and also three over 100 years old cemeteries includes 910 monuments of nature and groups of protected trees in the form of beech, oak, maple and lime lined avenues.
Tourism:
Olsztyn's popularity amongst tourists springs from two factors – its sights and its setting. The most attractive part of the city is the centrally positioned Old Town, encircled by a set of fortified walls. Despite its name, the Old Town is far from ancient. Due to the damages inflicted by the Red Army during the World War II, the area was almost totally destroyed, leaving only mere remnants of buildings dating back to medieval times. Recently, however, many of the demolished monuments have been carefully reconstructed, amongst them the Upper Gate (also known as the High Gate), the 14th century Gothic Castle of the Warmian Chapter and the majestic Cathedral of St. James. Being located in the centre of a famous lake district means that, apart from impressive sights, Olsztyn can offer a wide range of leisure activities, such as swimming, kayaking, biking and hiking.