The Olecko region is one of the most beautiful parts of Masuria ( Mazury/ the Land of Great Mazurian Lakes). The region boasts its microclimate, dozens of lakes and vast areas of forests. Its touristic value makes the region an attractive site for investors. Local authorities take particular care to preserve the region’s natural beauty,clean air, unpolluted waters and soils. Local governments are obliged to continuously monitor and invest in the environmental protection.

The Olecko region stretches to the north- east corner of the warmińsko- mazurskie voivodship. It borders with the Giżycko region in the west, the Ełk region in the south, the district of Gołdap in the north, and the Suwałki region in the east. The Olecko region is divided into smaller administrative units (they are also the names of towns within the district): Kowale Oleckie, Olecko, Świętajno and Wieliczki.

The region covers 874 sq km.
Its population is 21 413 (16 169 in Olecko, 5 371 in Kowale Oleckie, 3 420 in Wieliczki, 4 011 in Świętajno)

The History of Olecko

In the prehistoric times, the Baltic tribes, such as Jaćwingowie, lived in the area. However, the only things that still remind us of the early tribes are the geographical names used in the region. Teutonic Knights came here in the 15th and the 16th centuries. After the Teutonic Order had been secularized, a small wooden hunting castle was built on the narrow peninsula between the Oleckie Wielkie lake and River Lega. In 1560, Albrecht Hohenzollern (a Prussian prince) and the Polish king Zygmunt August started a town here called Marggrabowa. They built an Evangelical church and a town hall in the centre of a 5,5- ha- big square, which people called Oletzko. The development of that settlement was rather slow due to numerous wars fought in the region in the 17th and 18th centuries and the fact that Oletzko was situated away from the major trade routes. It was not until the end of the 18th century that the town grew. (At that time it belonged to the country of Prussia.) In the second half of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century light industries were started in Oletzko, but again, the WWI delayed further development until the years 1918- 1939.
In 1920, people living in this territory decided by plebiscite that Oletzko remained a German town, and between the years 1928- 1945 it was called Treubrg (meaning the faithful city). Between the two world wars, Olecko was an important sports resort and a recreation centre. During the WWII, though, the city was largely devastated (about 60% was ruined), the narrow gauge railroad was damaged, and the industry liquidated.
Olecko has been a Polish city since 1945. Between 1946- 1975 it was the seat of the local government and due to the administrative reform it became a separate administrative district. Olecko has had the status of a city since 1999.
The square in the centre of the town with the adjacent (perpendicular) streets is how Olecko used to look at the beginning. Today, the old brick building by the lake (a former seat of the local council) houses a state vocational school and the private Mazurian University. Nearby, there stands a 19th-century church, built in the late Gothic style. The trees on other shore hide a wooden house, built in a typically Mazurian style called “ Chata Mazurska” (a Mazurian House). The town itself includes many old apartment buildings (19th,early 20th century), a water mill which dates back to 1895, and near the centre, on the hill-top there stands an old water tower. The park in Gołdapska street houses a stone monument with stone swords on the pillars. It commemorates those who died and suffered during the WWI. Not far from that memorial there is a bridge which used to go over the narrow gauge railroad. Today, the park which used to be called the Hindenburg’ Park before WWII, houses a sports centre with a stadium, tennis courts, and a horse-racing court.


Geography of the region
The glacier which retreated and returned here several times left and outstanding post-glacial landscape and over 15 lakes. Many streams cut across the land and link some of the fifteen lakes. The Borecka Forest is a place where you will find unique examples of plants and animals. Numerous lakes, streams and rivers and rare mäcroclimate make the region an attractive tourist destination.
The region is situated in the north-east corner of Mazury, on the route that connects the Great Lakes Valley with the Suwalki- Augustów Lake District, and lies within the borders of three mezoregions, i.e.: the Ełk Lake District, the West Suwałki Lake district, and the Szeski Hump, in the Ełk and Lega rivers basins. In the north-west corner, the Olecko region is encompassed by the Borecka Forest. Steep hills ( the height above the sea level varies from 121m in the south -220 m in the north-east) and ridges, characteristic of the whole Mazurian landscape, were curved during three major glacial periods.

The Oleckie Wielkie Lake:
Situated on the run of River Lega which falls into River Ełk and then River Biebrza
Height of the surface- 158 metres above the sea level
Length: 4,600 metres
Maximum width: 1,150 metres
Maximum depth: 45,2 metres
Area: 227 ha

I TOURISM

 One of the least polluted regions of Poland
 Unique in Poland for its scenic views
 Vast areas of forests, rivers and lakes
 Highly diversified fauna
 Good tourism infrastructure

II SPORTS FACILITIES

 A paradise for hiking, walking, cycling and hunting enthusiasts
 Great conditions for yachting, fishing and mushroom picking
 Camping sites
 Network of water-sports facilities, equipment rentals
 Sport centres with tennis courts, football pitches, stadiums, etc.
 Agro tourism with good quality accommodation and traditional Polish cuisine

III ECONOMY
 peatlands, clay ground, bilberries, and springs of mineral waters
 good infrastructure for wood industry
 Mazurian University in Olecko
 Network of hotels, restaurants and bars
 A boatyard for sailing yachts and motor boats
 Production of the sewage treatment plants