Elk description, location, history. Poland map.

Elk description, location, history. Poland map.

Ełk is the capital of the poviat and the headquarters of the commune in Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship (Province); the town is located in Ełk Lakeland which constitutes a part of Mazury Lakeland. The town is situated on Ełk Lake and the Ełk River.

In the Middle Ages, the area of todays Ełk Land belonged to the Yotvingians who built the first watchtower on the island. In the years 1398-1406, the Teutonic Knights built there a small castle. The strategic location of the castle guaranteed a protection for people inhabiting its area; the castle was destroyed few years after the Battle of Grunwald.

The old name of Ełk - Łek originated from the name of the nearby river Łek. In the language of the Yotvingians Łek meant the white water lily.

The town's favourable location on an important trade route connecting Latvia and Kalingrad (Królewiec) as well as the closeness of the lake and the river made the developmnet of the town possible.

During the second half of the 16th century Ełk developed dynamically. Numerous buildings were erected at that time: St. Catherine's Church, the hospital which was at the same time a poorhouse, the printing-house as well as many inns. The development of the town was hindered at the beginning of the 16th century. In 1651, the great fire destroyed the library and damaged the buildings of the school. Five years later the town was plundered and burnt down by the Tartars.

The successive fires, which plaged the town in the years 1819 and 1821-1822, completely destroyed the old buildings of the town. Along with the fires, Ełk was hit by the numerous epidemics.