Olecko

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Olecko

	(Coat of arms)

Basic Information
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Warmian-Masurian
Population	16 950 (2006)
City rights	1560
Latitude Longitude	54°02'N 22°30'E
Area	11,42 km²
Density	1484,2/km²
Area code	+48 87
Car plates	NOE
Twin towns	Jõhvi
Economy and Traffic
Administration
Mayor	Wacław Olszewski
Municipal Website

Olecko (former German: Marggrabowa (help·info) since 1560, also Oletzko (help·info), Treuburg (help·info) since 1928) is a town in Masuria, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship of Poland, near Ełk and Suwałki. It is situated at the mouth of the Lega river into the Great Olecko Lake (Jezioro Oleckie Wielkie) on its south-western shore. Olecko is the seat of Olecko County.

1 History
2 Sights
3 Transportation
4 Education
5 External link

[edit] History

Marggrabowa was founded as a town by Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Duke of the Duchy of Prussia, on January 1, 1560. The town's name is derived from the German word Markgraf, the duke's title as the margraviate of Brandenburg's prince. The city coats of arms still reflect the Brandenburg red eagle and the Hohenzollern black and white going back to Albert of Brandenburg Prussia.

At the same place there has been since 1544 a hunting lodge called Oletzko. At a peninsula towards the lake, across the Lega river, in 1619 the Castle of Oletzko (Schloss Oletzko) was established as a regional administrative seat.

Between 1818 and 1945, Marggrabowa was the seat of Oletzko County (Kreis Oletzko, later named Kreis Treuburg) in the province of East Prussia in the Kingdom of Prussia.

[edit] Sights

In the northern part of the town's market square, a Catholic (formerly Lutheran) church is situated on a tree-covered hill.

[edit] Transportation

The Train Station in the western part of town is a regional railway junction: there are main lines to Gołdap, Ełk and Suwałki. The local railway connections to Mieruniszki, Kruklanki and Sulejki are out of service or dismantled.