The best traffic-free bike rides around Skanda

You can visit 24 hours a day, but after dark it's worth having a flashlight.

Lake Patryckie, located near the village of Patryki in Warmia, is a shallow reservoir with an area of ​​approximately 110 ha, a length of 1.7 km and a depth of up to 2 meters. It currently serves as a breeding pond specializing in trout breeding. For road cyclists, it is an attractive point on the route through the picturesque areas of the Olsztyn Lake District, with convenient access by asphalt roads.

The beach on Lake Skanda in Olsztyn is a peaceful place to relax, located on the south-eastern outskirts of the city, in the vicinity of the Mazurskie Estate. It offers two main beaches: sandy and grassy, which were modernized as part of the Olsztyn Civic Budget, providing amenities such as bicycle racks and access for people with disabilities. For road cyclists, it is an attractive destination, with convenient access by asphalt roads and the possibility of relaxing by the water.

at the castle

Probably the most prominent structure of the Brick Gothic style in northern Poland, rhe church was probably built between 1370 and 1380, after Allenstein was granted city rights in 1352. The impressive east gable was built shortly after 1429. During the Fourth Coalition War, the church was used as a prison for 1,500 Prussian and Russian soldiers in the winter of 1806/07, who used the furnishings as firewood. The current furnishings were then created, which fortunately survived the end of the war in 1945 thanks to the work of Pastor Johannes Hanowski. The baroque interior design that had been installed in the meantime was removed in 1866. In 1896, the main altar with its valuable Flemish paintings, which had been installed from the castle's St. Anne's Chapel, fell victim to a fire. In 1899, the roof was replaced. Around 1900, the composer Feliks Nowowiejski worked as an organist at St. James' Church. On June 28, 1972, the church became a co-cathedral of the archdiocese. In 1991, Pope John Paul II visited it, and in 2004, he elevated St. James' Church to a minor basilica. The three-aisled hall church was built without a choir. The tower was initially built free-standing only up to the church roof and was only raised to its current size between 1582 and 1596. With the construction of the side chapels, which were added between 1715 and 1721 together with a general restoration, the tower became part of the church. The current spire was added in 1867/68, with the golden star dating from the original building in 1596. At the same time, the façade was redesigned in a neo-Gothic style, with Ferdinand von Quast and August Stüler contributing. In 2001, the church received a representative main portal made of bronze.

In 1334, a watchtower was established on the Łyna River. In 1346, the forest was cleared at the location for a new settlement, mentioned in a historical document from 1348. The following year, the Teutonic Knights began the construction of an Ordensburg (castle) as a stronghold against the Baltic Prussians. Allenstein was granted municipal rights by the cathedral chapter of the Bishopric of Warmia in October 1353. The German "Allenstein" referred to the river's Baltic Prussian name Alna, which meant a hind. Local Poles, having arrived along with German settlers, called it Holstin and Olsztyn, which are Polonizations of the German name. The castle was completed in 1397. The town was captured by the Kingdom of Poland during the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War in 1410, and again in 1414 during the Hunger War, but it was returned to the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights after hostilities ended.

Delicious coffee in various variants, which you can drink alone or with a delicious cake or sandwich.

Nicholas Copernicus lived here in Allenstein Castle in 1516, 1524, 1531, 1535 and 1538.