Gołdap is a township of 13 thousand inhabitants in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province, surrounded by the legendary Romincka Forest (Puszcza Romincka), full of mysteries of its primeval inhabitants, the Yotvingians (4th century B.C.). Here you can also find traces of the Teutonic Knights, Napoleon’s troops, Germans, Russians. It is a land of unique sites and adventurers.
Gołdap is situated on postglacial hills near the borderline to Russia (4 km [2.5 mi]), on the shore of a lake of the same name. In 2000, it was officially granted the spa status; it specializes in climatic and mud treatment.
Tourists are attracted by the place’s clear air and extraordinary sites, full of mysteries.
In a small village of Stańczyki near Dubeninki, amidst the Romincka Forest, there are two monumental railway bridges built parallel to each other (height: 40 m [130 ft], length: 180 m (590 ft). Their slender piers, modelled after Roman aqueducts, are very impressive. They were a part of a railway line which started in Koenigsberg (now Kaliningrad), and the first train crossed there in 1927. After the world War II, the track was dismantled by the Russians and taken away to the USSR. For the last 60 years, the bridges, also called the ‘aqueducts of the North’, lead to nowhere.
In the village of Rapa, 8 km (5 mi) from Banie Mazurskie, hidden in a deciduous forest, there is an ‘Egyptian pyramid’ (12 m [40 ft]). It is the tomb of a German Fahrenheid family of 1811, with a macabre family secret hidden inside.
Other interesting sites include WW2 bunkers in the Kumiecie Forest near the town, and huge erratic blocks, with enigmatic names like ‘Angerapp’ (height: 1.80 m [6 ft]; perimeter: 16 m [52.5 ft]) or ‘Skalich’ (height: 2.30 m [7.5 ft]; perimeter: 11 m [36 ft]), listed as natural monuments. Remember: there is no way to find them without a guide!
The Gołdap area is also full of surprises in winter. Masuria (Mazury) is generally associated with lakes – but how about some skiing? Why not! In the middle of a part of region called ‘Rolling Masuria’ (Mazury Garbate), just 2 km (1.2 mi) away from Gołdap, you can ski or snowboard. A chairlift (750 m [2460 ft]) or ski tows will take to the top of the Piękna Mountain (272 m [892 ft]). It also has an all-season toboggan run (in summer, the toboggan is replaced by street luge).
A must-see for all adventurers is Ściborki, an eco-village near Banie Mazurskie. Here, you may go for a ride with a sled dog team or join a group of ‘Eskimos’ for bonfire games. Then you may travel to the Tatarska Mountain for some ‘bloodless hunt’ experience. Perhaps you will manage to take a picture of a herd of deer or a pack of boars?
www.goldap.info
www.goldap.pl
