Masuria

Masuria is the English name for Masuren or Masurenland (Polish Mazury), which is situated in the southern part of what was East Prussia, Germany. In the post-World War II redrawing of European borders, this territory was taken from Germany and given to Poland.

'Masurenland' and the Masurian Lakes Platteau are known in German as the 'Land der Tausend Seen', (Land of a thousand lakes). As in other parts of northern Germany from east of Hamburg on the Elbe? river to Mecklenburg and Pomerania at the Oder river to the Vistula river one continous strech of lakes make it in our times a beautiful vacation paradise. These lakes are the remnants of the ice-age, when all northeastern Germany, present Poland, and further north-eastern Europe was covered with ice. By 10000 BC this ice started to melt. Great geological changes took place and even in the last 500 years the maps showing the lagoons and peninsulas on the Baltic Sea have greatly altered in appearance. The southern part of eastern Prussia, Sudovia and Galindia, had remaining wilderness areas longer than most of Europe. The deep forests in these territories made it possible for Moose, Aurochs, bears and many other mammals to survive. During the Baltic or Northern Crusades, the native Prussian population also had the chance to survive in the remaining wilderness areas against the onslaught of mighty Crusader armies from all over Europe and from Asia.

During the Reformation? and Counter-Reformation?, people from Masovia, to the south of Prussia, came north and took refuge in Protestant Prussia. Later it became customary to call the Galindia land of Prussia 'Masurenland' or Masuria in honor of the many people from Masovia, who had come to Prussia. Communist nationalistic Poland laid claims to Masuria at Treaty of Versailles, pointing out to the many Slavic sounding names of the Prussian Masurians. The League of Nations held elections in 1920 as to whether the people in Prussia wanted to remain with Germany or join the state of Poland. In West Prussia over 92% voted to remain with Germany; in East Prussia 98% voted to remain with Germany.

Poland never gave up trying to conquer this land, as they had conquered the land of Masovia years ago.

Prussian Galindia was originally much larger and reached further south and east, but since Masovians and Poles conquered much of this land the borders between Prussia, Lithuania and Poland were set in 1422 by the Treaty of Melno Lake. These borders between Prussia, Lithuania and Poland were unchanged until the military take-over by Stalin in and after 1945.

Polish sources love to claim all of East and West Prussia, Pomerania, Silesia, Eastern Brandenburg as regained original Polish land. The northern part of East Prussia, today Oblast Kaliningrad, taken by Soviet Union is at least spared that aspect of twisted history. Vast Polish efforts have shown great success with Westerners, where many people can not tell the difference between Masovia and Masuria.

Masuria, or the Masurian Lakes Plateau is in the area of the cities of Angerburg, Loetzen, Nikolaiken,Allenstein today Olstyn?, Angerburg, Rastenburg, Roessel, Rhein, Sensburg, Ortelsburg, Johannisburg, Treuburg.

A map of 1660 Prussia showing above cities and to the south of it Masovia : [[1]]

same map larger [[2]] (The many lakes are shown in brownish color on this map, Spirding See is the largest ).

Current website for travels to Masuria [[3]] [[4]] [[5]] go to Masuren and to Bilder

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