Masurian Lake District

Masurian Lake District Pojezierze Mazurskie
Śniardwy, the largest lake in Poland, with Pajęcza and Czarci Ostrów Islands
Location of Masurian Lake District in Poland
Coordinates: 54°00′N 22°00′E / 54.000°N 22.000°E / 54.000; 22.000Coordinates: 54°00′N 22°00′E / 54.000°N 22.000°E / 54.000; 22.000
Country	Poland
Area
• Total	52,000 km2 (20,000 sq mi)
Website	mazury.info.pl/atrakcje

The Masurian Lake District or Masurian Lakeland (Polish: Pojezierze Mazurskie; German: Masurische Seenplatte) is a lake district in northeastern Poland within the geographical region of Masuria, in past inhabited by Masurians whose spoke Masurian dialect .It contains more than 2,000 lakes. The district had been elected as one of the 28 finalists of the New7Wonders of Nature.

The Lakeland extends roughly 290 km (180 mi) eastwards from the lower Vistula to the Poland–Russia border, and occupies an area of roughly 52,000 square kilometres (20,000 sq mi). Administratively, the Lake District lies within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. Small parts of the district lie within the Masovian and Podlaskie Voivodeships.

The lakes are well connected by rivers and canals, forming an extensive system of waterways. The 18th-century Masurian Canal links this system to the Baltic Sea. The whole area is a prime tourist destination, frequented by boating enthusiasts, canoeists, anglers, hikers, bikers and nature-lovers. It is one of the most famous lake districts in Central Europe and a popular vacation spot, with the highest number of visitors every year.

The lake district was shaped by the ice age. Many of its hills are parts of moraines and many of its lakes are moraine-dammed lakes. From 13th century on, the Lakeland was successively part of the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights, the Duchy of Prussia, and the Prussian province of East Prussia. In modern times, while part of the German Empire, it was the location of the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes (1914) and the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes (1915) during World War I. At the end of World War II (1945), following the decision taken at the Potsdam Agreement, all national borders were redrawn and the area ceded to Poland.