The best walks and hikes in Rezerwat Gązwa

In the mid-1980s, thanks to the efforts of the then-pastor of the Blessed Honorat Koźmiński Parish in Mrągowo, Father Henryk Darasewicz, a small wooden church was built in the village. The chapel was built by the villagers as a community effort on land donated for this purpose by one of their number, Mr. Popielarz.

The first mention of the church in Sorkwity dates back to 1470. Initially, it was a half-timbered building with a thatched roof.[1] The church was patronized by the owners of the existing knightly estates, which included the von Schlieben family.[2] The church was demolished at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, and a new church was built in its place in the Baroque style, while partially retaining the Gothic architectural character. The initiative for the construction of the current church building is associated with Dietrich von Schlieben, and work was carried out in four stages. The eastern part of the nave, along with the sacristy, was built between 1593 and 1607. The expansion was completed in 1698-1699 at the initiative of Sigismund von Egloffstein, the next owner of the Sorkwity estate. The tower was added between 1701 and 1712, and the final construction phase spanned 1750–1777, when the appearance of the windows in the nave was standardized. This Evangelical church is located on Lake Gielądzkie in the village of Sorkwity, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.

At the northern end of Lake Lampackie stands a castle built in 1788 for the then lord of the manor, Johann Sigismund von Oppeln-Bronikowski. This unfinished brick building was once the center of the Sorquitten estate. Between 1850 and 1856, under the lord of the manor, Julius von Mirbach, it was rebuilt in the neo-Gothic castle style of an English manor house. The castle walls have since been crowned with battlements. Next to the main building stands the so-called carriage house, a separate building. The castle includes an English-style landscape park, whose form dates back to the 19th century. It is characterized by ancient oaks and several other protected tree species. During the First World War, on August 26, 1914, the first day of the Battle of Tannenberg between the invading Samsonov Army and the German defenders, Russian soldiers spent the night in the castle. The castle caught fire and burned down on the night of August 27-28, 1914, along with all its valuable furnishings. In 1922/1923, it was rebuilt by the last German lord of the manor under the supervision of the Berlin architect Otto Rüger. The building survived the Second World War largely unscathed; only the interior furnishings were lost through looting in 1945. After 1945, the castle was used as an administrative building and warehouse for the now Polish estate administration. In 1957, it became a convalescent home for the Warsaw Ursus machine factory. Today, the castle and park are once again privately owned; the castle houses the two-star Hotel Pałac Sorkwity. In June 2012, the castle appeared unoccupied, and there was no evidence of a hotel operation. Source: wikipedia.org

A church in Sorkwity was first mentioned in 1470. It was a thatched, half-timbered church. It was demolished in 1600 and replaced by a fieldstone church: a choirless, plastered building, the eastern part of which was built between 1593 and 1607, and the western part in 1689/99. The west tower, with its faced brickwork, was built between 1701 and 1721. It supports a tarmac roof with a weather vane from 1777 – commemorating the reconstruction work in 1776/77. At that time, the dilapidated upper section had to be removed by 35 feet. It was then restored as it stands today. In 1754, the church interior received a barrel vault in the nave and flat planked ceilings on the sides; the semicircular windows were also installed. The church's appearance has remained unchanged since then. The church's interior was carefully restored in the 1930s. Between 1935 and 1944, it was painted, new roof tiles and gutters were installed, and the doors and arched windows were replaced. In the years after 1945, the church was restored several times, most recently in 2010 and 2012. Source: wikipedia.org

The football club’s stadium is currently being renovated.

Beautiful little park in Mrągowo.

Beautiful statue. I was lucky that it was beautifully illuminated by the sun. (See picture 😀)

For when you're hungry in between meals.