Mrągowo

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title: "Mrągowo" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cities-and-towns-in-warmian-masurian-voivodeship", "mrągowo-county", "populated-lakeshore-places-in-poland", "masuria-(region)"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrągowo" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameMrągowo
native_nameZondzbork
image_skyline{{Photomontage
color#ffffff
photo1aRatusz Mrągowo.jpgTown Hall
photo1bAmphitheater in Mrągowo.jpg
photo2aDistrict office in Mrągowo.jpgDistrict office
photo2bMragowo kościół2.JPGSaint Adalbert Church
photo2cMrągowo - bulwar.jpgPromenade
photo3aJezioro Czos w Mrągowie.jpgLake Czos
spacing2
border0
size266
imagesize260px
image_caption
image_flagPOL Mrągowo flag.svg
image_shieldPOL Mrągowo COA.svg
pushpin_mapPoland
pushpin_label_positionbottom
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_name
subdivision_type1Voivodeship
subdivision_name1Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
subdivision_type2County
subdivision_name2Mrągowo
subdivision_type3Gmina
subdivision_name3Mrągowo (urban gmina)
leader_titleMayor
leader_nameJakub Doraczyński
established_titleEstablished
established_date1348
established_title3Town rights
established_date31444
elevation_min_m20
elevation_max_m200
area_total_km214.8
population_as_of2025
population_total20339
population_density_km2auto
timezoneCET
utc_offset+1
timezone_DSTCEST
utc_offset_DST+2
coordinates
postal_code_typePostal code
postal_code11-700 to 11-709
area_code+48 89
blank_nameCar plates
blank_infoNMR
blank_name_sec2National roads
blank_info_sec2[[File:DK16-PL.svg
blank1_name_sec2Voivodeship roads
blank1_info_sec2[[File:DW591-PL.svg
websitemrągowo.pl
::

| name = Mrągowo | native_name = Zondzbork | image_skyline = {{Photomontage | color = #ffffff | photo1a = Ratusz Mrągowo.jpgTown Hall | photo1b = Amphitheater in Mrągowo.jpg | photo2a = District office in Mrągowo.jpgDistrict office | photo2b = Mragowo kościół2.JPGSaint Adalbert Church | photo2c = Mrągowo - bulwar.jpgPromenade | photo3a = Jezioro Czos w Mrągowie.jpgLake Czos | spacing = 2 | border = 0 | size = 266 | imagesize = 260px | image_caption = | image_flag = POL Mrągowo flag.svg | image_shield = POL Mrągowo COA.svg | pushpin_map = Poland | pushpin_label_position = bottom | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = | subdivision_type1 = Voivodeship | subdivision_name1 = Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship | subdivision_type2 = County | subdivision_name2 = Mrągowo | subdivision_type3 = Gmina | subdivision_name3 = Mrągowo (urban gmina) | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Jakub Doraczyński | established_title = Established | established_date = 1348 | established_title3 = Town rights | established_date3 = 1444 | elevation_min_m = 20 | elevation_max_m = 200 | area_total_km2 = 14.8 | population_as_of = 2025 | population_total = 20339 | population_density_km2 = auto | timezone = CET | utc_offset = +1 | timezone_DST = CEST | utc_offset_DST = +2 | coordinates = | postal_code_type = Postal code | postal_code = 11-700 to 11-709 | area_code = +48 89 | blank_name = Car plates | blank_info = NMR | blank_name_sec2 = National roads | blank_info_sec2 = [[File:DK16-PL.svg|32px|link=National road 16 (Poland)]] [[File:DK59-PL.svg|32px|link=National road 59 (Poland)]] | blank1_name_sec2 = Voivodeship roads | blank1_info_sec2 = [[File:DW591-PL.svg|32px]] [[File:DW600-PL.svg|32px]] | website = mrągowo.pl Mrągowo (until 1947 ; ; Masurian: Zondzbork) is a resort town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship of northeastern Poland, with 20,399 inhabitants (2025). It is the capital of Mrągowo County and the seat (though not part of) the Gmina Mrągowo. The town is located in the ethnographic region of Masuria, within the Masurian Lake District, about 60 km east of Olsztyn.

It is situated on the shores of lakes Czos, Sutapie Małe, Sołtysko, Czarne, Juno and Piecuch.

History

Middle Ages

About 1348 the Teutonic Knights constructed a wooden fortress near present-day Mrągowo named Sensburg, derived from Old Prussian senas meaning "old", therefore maybe at the site of a former Prussian castle. The settlement that began to develop nearby was first mentioned in a 1397 deed and probably had already received Kulm town rights between 1404 and 1407, although it is verified that Grand Master Konrad von Erlichshausen affirmed town rights in 1444. In 1454 it was incorporated to Poland by King Casimir IV Jagiellon upon the request of the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation, and after the subsequent Thirteen Years’ War (1454–1466) it was a part of Poland as a fief. To the town's Polish population it was known as Ządźbork.

Modern era

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Albrecht_Adam_-_Sensburger_Markt.jpg" caption="Italian troops at the Market Square in 1812 (by [[Albrecht Adam]])"] ::

Ządźbork became part of the Duchy of Prussia, a vassal state of Poland, in 1525. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the town suffered through fires and plagues.

Part of the Kingdom of Prussia since 1701, the town was incorporated into the Province of East Prussia after its creation in 1773. It was heavily devastated during the Napoleonic Wars. It remained mostly a small hamlet in the largely rural area around it. Agriculture, fishing and the richness of the surrounding forests provided the sources of income for the local population. Just like all of Masuria the district was inhabited mainly by Poles, and town itself had majority Polish population in 1816 however in the 19th century their percentage began to decrease due to Germanisation, removal of the Polish language from schools and the pressure of the local German administration (from 86% in 1825 to 59% in 1890). The town became the county seat in 1818, with its first Landrat (country executive) being August von Lyśniewski. The Polish secret resistance was active and smuggled weapons through the town to the Russian Partition of Poland during the January Uprising. In August 1863, the Prussians discovered the activity, carried out arrests of local resistance members and seized a shipment of weapons headed to the town. In 1871 Sensburg became part of the German Empire during the Prussian-led unification of Germany. In 1897 the town became connected to the railway system, which went from Bischofsburg (Biskupiec) to Rastenburg (Kętrzyn/Rastembork). In 1903 the city received a donation from Edward Pałasz to acquire its own forest, where it then built recreational facilities.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/MragowoBrunnen.JPG" caption="Fountain on the main square"] ::

Following World War I, as a condition of the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations held the East Prussian plebiscite on 11 July 1920 to determine if the people in the southern districts of East Prussia wanted to remain within the Free State of Prussia and Germany or to join the Second Polish Republic. Before the vote German nationalists engaged in brutal excesses, which remained unhindered by meagre presence of Allied forces; a Scottish regiment only once visited the city, and only to demonstrate a music orchestra. The plebiscite resulted in 3,660 votes for Germany and none for Poland.

At the end of World War II the town was liberated by the Red Army during the East Prussian Offensive, losing almost 20% of its buildings in the fighting.

From 1945 to 1947 the city was known by the historic Polish name Ządzbork. The city's name was changed to the current Mrągowo in 1947, in honor of Polish pastor, writer and translator Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongovius (1764–1855), a noted defender of the Polish language in Masuria.

The local populace was mostly spared expulsion due to their Polish ethnicity, but many resisted being treated as Poles. The 1940-50s saw repeated measures implemented to force the locals to sign that they were Poles, or to receive Polish identity cards. People who declined were often interned.

After the war, Mrągowo remained a rural town with approximately 10,000 inhabitants; this number stayed almost constant until the late 1980s. In the following decade, mostly due to economic and political changes, the town gained some influence in the region and grew quickly into a regional center for economic business and tourism. Recently, Mrągowo has tried to regain some of its former beauty and to represent the region.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Jezioro_Czos_w_Mrągowie_1.jpg" caption="Lake Czos"] ::

Coat of arms

The town's coat of arms derives from a regional story of the 15th century. It claims that when a group of local farmers was being threatened by predators, the townspeople tracked down a fearsome bear. They were only able to shoot it in its paw, and it managed to flee to Rastembork. Only upon its arrival there did the bear succumb to its injuries. The bear's paw was brought back to Ządźbork and is honored in the coat of arms. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Kamienica_Ogrodowa.JPG" caption="Example of a historic house in Mrągowo"] ::

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Mrągowo is twinned with:

Notable people

References

References

  1. GUS. "Powierzchnia i ludność w przekroju terytorialnym w 2025 r.".
  2. GUS. "Powierzchnia i ludność w przekroju terytorialnym w 2025 r.".
  3. Górski, Karol. (1949). "Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych". Instytut Zachodni.
  4. Mrągowo. Z dziejów miasta i powiatu. Andrzej Wakar Pojezierze, 1975, page 91
  5. Mrągowo. Z dziejów miasta i powiatu. Andrzej Wakar Pojezierze, 1975, page 92
  6. Groniewska, Barbara. (1960). "Rola Prus Wschodnich w powstaniu styczniowym".
  7. Groniewska, p. 19
  8. Mrągowo. Z dziejów miasta i powiatu. Andrzej Wakar Pojezierze, 1975, page 103
  9. Mrągowo. Z dziejów miasta i powiatu. Andrzej Wakar Pojezierze, 1975, page 106
  10. (1970). "Selbstbestimmung für Ostdeutschland – Eine Dokumentation zum 50 Jahrestag der ost- und westpreussischen Volksabstimmung am 11. Juli 1920".
  11. (1984). "Die Vertreibung der deutschen Bevölkerung aus den Gebieten östlich der Oder-Neisse". Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

cities-and-towns-in-warmian-masurian-voivodeshipmrągowo-countypopulated-lakeshore-places-in-polandmasuria-(region)