Autumn trip through Masuria
Silent luck: Boat trip from Pozezdrze to Stregiel lake
We gently pull our paddles through the waterSlowly and silently, we move on, trying not to disturb the wonderful silence that reigns here. One day we are already on the canoe on the Sapina on the way and meet not a single person. Only with swans, water runners and water lilies we divide the river surface. We glide through a previous Masuria, are alone with nature. The river beats again and again hooks: It leads through a lonely forest, opens suddenly to wide lakes, in which the water is almost, to be directly afterwards again to a narrow, narrow channel, flowing quickly and bubbly.
Masuria, the "land of water": Countless lakes traverse the area - between three and four thousand are estimated. Many are just a "Z. abie Oko", a "frog-eye", but many are well over a hectare in size. Plenty of space for canoeists, sailors, paddlers - and people like us who want to enjoy this fantastic landscape at the best time of the year: autumn.
A shaggy inhabitant of the bison enclosure Wolisko
"Warmia and Masuria", a kind of state in northeastern Poland, is full, loud and lively in summer. At this time of year, the families and couples come to Giz. ycko, one of the most popular resorts in the region. They meet in the marina for open-air concerts and fun party celebrations, make bonfires in the garden of the four-star hotels and watch the storks flying by in the sky.
Carriage ride around the Goldopiwo Lake at Jeziorowskie
But now, in the fall, this rush is over. The air is pleasant 20 degrees and the sun is shining gently on us as we paddle our way through lonely areas that formed the Ice Age into a flat hilly landscape. The elevations line up endlessly, at night you can howl the wolves, in the morning you hear a nightingale singing. And again and again: avenues that lead from village to village. The leaves of their trees are colored, golden and red in all shades that one can only imagine. Nature is left to itself, there is hardly any industry, and Mazury is sparsely populated.
On a trip by horse-drawn carriage we drive through small towns where we meet only a few people on the street. Most of those who live here do not have much, live in poorly patched houses, and keep a few pigs and chickens.
We meet an elderly womanwho earns her living in the Bialowieski National Park, one of the oldest in Europe: she feeds a group of bisons, European bison, which are bred here - by the beginning of the 20th century they were almost extinct.
She takes us to a huge fenced enclosure in the middle of the park and knocks on the gate with a tin bowl to lure the shaggy giants. Like primeval monsters the animals come running - after all, they know exactly what this noise means: there is food.
The rest of the Bialowieski ParkFamous for its immense wealth of plant and animal species, we visit with a guide. He shows us the other inhabitants of the park, who appreciate the unspoiled nature of Masuria: beavers, otters, cranes, wolves, moose, wild forest horses, sea urchins and osprey.
The Goldopiwo Lake in Masuria, enchanted by the autumn light
At the end of a long dayAfter so much fresh air and exercise, you can look forward to something else in Masuria: the food. In our guesthouse "Zabie Oko", which is not much bigger than the "Froschauge", where she lies, hostess Maria cooks us on her old cast-iron stove "Bigos", a hearty stew with sauerkraut. There are also dumplings, dumplings stuffed with meat, and home-baked bread. Time and again, Maria fills up the bowls, even though we have long ago nodded sleepily. We listen to the music from a small radio, let ourselves be warmed by the crackling fire and go to bed early. In Masuria, the clocks are just a little different - do it well!
Travel info
phone Area code to Poland 00 48, then the area code without the zero. getting there To be mobile on the spot, it is recommended to travel by car; It takes about eight to ten hours to get to Olszytn from Berlin. Alternatively: Fly with Lot from Hamburg or Munich to Gdansk or Warsaw from 133 Euro (www.lot.com), then continue with the rental car.
find accommodation
Pension Zabie Oko is located by a pond. Here you can fish and process the catch in the guest kitchen
Zabie Oko. Family-run, pretty guesthouse on the edge of the Borecka heath. With very good, regional kitchen, garden and a fireplace room. DZ / F from 20 Euro (Jasieniec 9, PL-11612 Kruklanki, Tel. 506/08 31 33, www.zabieoko.pl).
Castle Hotel Karnity. Picturesque, in a park of about 17 hectares and right on the lake. Ideal for water sports and long bike rides. DZ / F from 56 Euro (Karnity 10, PL 14140 Milomlyn, Tel. 89/647 34 65, Fax 647 34 64, www.karnity.pl).
Enjoy
Karczma Warmińska. Restaurant with excellent traditional cuisine between Olsztyn and Ostróda. While waiting for food, one can see a collection of old household appliances and tools that used to be used in the villages of the Warmia (Gietrzwald 32, 11036 Gietrzwald, Tel. 89/512 34 23, www.karczma.pl). Pensjonat Nautic / Dolce Vita. Freshly caught fish, straight from the Masurian lakes, comes here on the plate. From the terrace you can see the Mamry Lake, and in the small harbor next door you can also anchor with your own boat (ul. Slowackiego 14, Wegorzewo, tel. 87/427 20 80, fax 427 45 08, www.nautic. pl).
flat-rate
Package "Golden autumn in Masuria". Six nights with half board in the guesthouse "Zabie Oko", including carriage ride, bread baking, visit to a local fish smokehouse and rental bike from about 125 Euro / person in a double room. Via welcome2masuria, Asbeckweg 9, 48161 Münster, Tel. 02 51/20 31 88 93, Fax 20 31 88 94.
Read
DuMont travel paperback Masuria. This travel guide by Tomasz Torbus offers a good overview of the Lake District, the nature park Suwalki, the fresh lagoon, Gdansk and Marienburg (12 Euro, DuMont travel publisher). Mazury. A country like a melody. Marika Hildebrand and Peter Ernszt capture in their illustrated book not only the great unspoiled nature of Masuria, but also the many different moods of the area (€ 28.50, Tecklenborg Verlag). Mazury. East Prussia's forgotten south. Andreas Kossert tells about the historical and cultural heritage of the Prussian frontier landscape between Germany and Poland. Of the people who live here, the everyday life of farmers and the fascination of East Prussia (12,90 Euro, Pantheon Verlag).
