The town of Pisz, with a population numbering some 20,000, is located in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodship and serves as the administrative centre of the county. Its location in the vicinity of the Piska Forest and on the banks of the Ros Lake, from which the river Pisa flows, is extremely picturesque. The Ros Lake is linked by canal to Poland’s largest lake, lake Sniardwy.

Lying in the south-eastern region of the Land of the Great Masurian Lakes, Pisz is affected by both continental and oceanic climates. The average yearly temperature in July is 160 C and –4.50 C in January. This small town experiences four distinct seasons, ranging from warm summers to bitter, lengthy winters with heavy snowfalls.

Pisz’s history dates back to the 14th century, when the Teutonic Knights erected a wooden castle at the southernmost tip of the Piska Forest in the Land of the Great Masurian Lakes. The first privilege for the settlement which grew around the Teutonic castle was granted in 1367, which allowed settlers to fish freely in the surrounding waters. In 1645 the town attained municipal status and was officially named Johannisburg, after the name of the castle. Nevertheless, the local inhabitants still h... ( plus >>)