Ścieżkami

City walks

Walks in Ełk

The catalogue lists 27 places, with texts and photos. You can start a walk from one of these points: Old Town, Lakefront, Castle, and Narrow-gauge Railway.

Build your own walk

Three ready-made walks

Two hours and one idea for each route. Stops, texts and photos are below. Want it different? Open the walk in the generator and change it.

The City Remembers

2 h 5.2 km 10 stops Start: Old Town

  1. Providence of God Church in Ełk

    A modern cross in a rosette above the Last Supper

    A brick, single-nave church built on a cross plan. The central wall of the presbytery features a cross set within a rosette, with an image of the Last Supper placed directly beneath it.

    Crazy fact

    The church was blessed by the Bishop of Ełk, Jerzy Mazur, on October 28, 2007, five years after the cornerstone was laid.

    Photo: Ath29, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Directions

  2. 10 min walk · 740 m

    Forgotten Roundhouse in Ełk

    Second in Poland for the longest use of steam in scheduled service

    This brick fan-shaped depot from 1906 remembers the thunder of trains right up until 2009. Today, the legendary Ol49 and Ty2 steam locomotives that once hauled trains across the country are rotting away here in the open air.

    Crazy fact

    After Wolsztyn, this was the place where steam locomotives were used in regular scheduled traffic the longest in Poland.

    Photo: 1957birth, CC BY 3.0

    Directions

  3. 6 min walk · 470 m

    Stefan Marcinkiewicz Municipal Stadium

    From the Millennium of the Polish State Stadium to a modern arena with ice and athletics.

    Here, on Piłsudskiego Street, lies the sporting heart of Ełk. Under the roof of the main stand, you'll find not only 2,000 passionate fans but also the locker rooms for Mazur and Rona players, which still remember the days of Płomień.

    Crazy fact

    Until July 23, 2012, the busy national road number 16 ran along the northern side of the stadium via Sikorskiego Street.

    Photo: damist, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions

  4. 10 min walk · 710 m

    St. Adalbert's Cathedral in Ełk

    A neo-Gothic church elevated to a cathedral by John Paul II, who personally crowned its Fatima statue

    Built in 1893, this three-nave basilica houses partially Gothic furnishings. Its greatest treasure is the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, brought here in 1990.

    Crazy fact

    On June 6, 1991, Pope John Paul II personally crowned the statue of Our Lady of Fatima brought from Fátima, and in 1992 he elevated the church to the dignity of the cathedral of the new Diocese of Ełk.

    Photo: Ludwig Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions

  5. 12 min walk · 890 m

    Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

    A hospital ward that became a home for golden domes

    Imagine: the early 20th century, an ordinary hospital building. Half a century later, its walls began to remember not pain, but prayer, when an Orthodox church was opened here in 1959. Today, it's a place where the history of a modest hospital intertwines with the spirit of Byzantine tradition.

    Crazy fact

    In April 2016, the first dome, 2.5 meters in diameter and weighing half a ton, was hoisted onto the roof of the former hospital, marking a new era for this unusual temple.

    Photo: Patryk Korzeniecki, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions

  6. 7 min walk · 550 m

    Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

    A Protestant temple that survived war and fire to become the heart of Catholic Ełk.

    The oldest and largest church in Ełk, built in the neo-Gothic style. Its tall tower is visible from afar, and inside you'll find stained glass windows depicting key scenes from the life of Christ.

    Crazy fact

    Every day at noon, after the Angelus prayer, the Ełk bugle call is played from the tower.

    Photo: Ludwig Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions
More stops (4)

  1. 2 min walk · 150 m

    Ełk Cultural Center

    From a factory common room to a 1,367-seat amphitheater

    This place remembers post-war dances to the accordion. Today, it resonates with the folk group 'Pojezierze' and the laughter of the annual Mulatka cabaret.

    Crazy fact

    Waldemar Pieńkowski was a long-time employee whose name became a symbol of dedication to this institution.

    Photo: Ath29, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions

  2. 3 min walk · 260 m

    Bridge over Ełckie Lake

    The only bridge connecting the city with the Teutonic castle

    This reinforced concrete beauty made of red stone replaced an old wooden bridge in 1910. Zamkowa Street still runs across it today, linking the center of Ełk with the castle and the Grunwaldzkie estate.

    Crazy fact

    The bridge was built to replace a wooden one that was threatening to collapse, and was originally named Suermondt-Brücke.

    Photo: Historyczka, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl

    Directions

  3. 4 min walk · 280 m

    Ełk Castle

    A Teutonic tower on an island, burned down by its own townspeople.

    This castle rose on the lake as a modest brick tower to control the crossing and collect tribute from the wilderness. Only one official lived here with a pair of horses, yet it was from here that the colonization of the forest began.

    Crazy fact

    In 1455, the inhabitants of Ełk sided with the Prussian Confederation, captured and burned their own castle along with the Teutonic garrison.

    Photo: Zala, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Directions

  4. 8 min walk · 580 m

    Church of Blessed Karolina Kózkówna

    A modern church dedicated to a young martyr for purity

    A Roman Catholic parish church built at the turn of the millennium. Its construction took place between 2006 and 2014.

    Crazy fact

    The parish was established on July 1, 1991, by Bishop Edmund Piszcz, with the construction of the current temple beginning 15 years later.

    Directions
Open in the generator

A Walk for Two

2 h 5.6 km 9 stops Start: Old Town

  1. Forgotten Roundhouse in Ełk

    Second in Poland for the longest use of steam in scheduled service

    This brick fan-shaped depot from 1906 remembers the thunder of trains right up until 2009. Today, the legendary Ol49 and Ty2 steam locomotives that once hauled trains across the country are rotting away here in the open air.

    Crazy fact

    After Wolsztyn, this was the place where steam locomotives were used in regular scheduled traffic the longest in Poland.

    Photo: 1957birth, CC BY 3.0

    Directions

  2. 6 min walk · 470 m

    Stefan Marcinkiewicz Municipal Stadium

    From the Millennium of the Polish State Stadium to a modern arena with ice and athletics.

    Here, on Piłsudskiego Street, lies the sporting heart of Ełk. Under the roof of the main stand, you'll find not only 2,000 passionate fans but also the locker rooms for Mazur and Rona players, which still remember the days of Płomień.

    Crazy fact

    Until July 23, 2012, the busy national road number 16 ran along the northern side of the stadium via Sikorskiego Street.

    Photo: damist, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions

  3. 13 min walk · 1 km

    Solidarity Park

    Here, among ancient linden trees, lie the hidden traces of vanished imperial monuments.

    In the very heart of Ełk lies a historic park, established at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries by the City Beautification Society. Listen to the rustle of linden trees planted in honor of the Kaisers and see the historic fountain that remembers its first visitors.

    Crazy fact

    During renovation in 2009, workers stumbled upon the foundations of the former monument to Field Marshal Hindenburg's Infantry Regiment, hidden underground.

    Photo: Historyczka, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl

    Directions

  4. 3 min walk · 250 m

    Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

    A hospital ward that became a home for golden domes

    Imagine: the early 20th century, an ordinary hospital building. Half a century later, its walls began to remember not pain, but prayer, when an Orthodox church was opened here in 1959. Today, it's a place where the history of a modest hospital intertwines with the spirit of Byzantine tradition.

    Crazy fact

    In April 2016, the first dome, 2.5 meters in diameter and weighing half a ton, was hoisted onto the roof of the former hospital, marking a new era for this unusual temple.

    Photo: Patryk Korzeniecki, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions

  5. 2 min walk · 170 m

    Józef Piłsudski Monument

    The man who refused the presidency to keep leading Poland

    Józef Piłsudski went from underground conspiracy to Head of State and Poland's first Marshal. Depending on who walked beside him, he was called the Commander, Granddad, or Ziuk.

    Crazy fact

    In 1926 he was elected President of Poland, but refused to take the office.

    Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

    Directions

  6. 1 min walk · 70 m

    Ełk Town Hall

    A tower that remembers German officials and Polish marshals

    Built in 1912, this building was constructed on such a grand scale that today it houses both the city and district authorities, whereas before the war their German counterparts occupied two separate buildings.

    Crazy fact

    A memory chest was buried in front of the building, to be opened only in 2075, on the city's 650th anniversary.

    Photo: Ath29, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions
More stops (3)

  1. 12 min walk · 870 m

    Bridge over Ełckie Lake

    The only bridge connecting the city with the Teutonic castle

    This reinforced concrete beauty made of red stone replaced an old wooden bridge in 1910. Zamkowa Street still runs across it today, linking the center of Ełk with the castle and the Grunwaldzkie estate.

    Crazy fact

    The bridge was built to replace a wooden one that was threatening to collapse, and was originally named Suermondt-Brücke.

    Photo: Historyczka, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl

    Directions

  2. 4 min walk · 280 m

    Ełk Castle

    A Teutonic tower on an island, burned down by its own townspeople.

    This castle rose on the lake as a modest brick tower to control the crossing and collect tribute from the wilderness. Only one official lived here with a pair of horses, yet it was from here that the colonization of the forest began.

    Crazy fact

    In 1455, the inhabitants of Ełk sided with the Prussian Confederation, captured and burned their own castle along with the Teutonic garrison.

    Photo: Zala, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Directions

  3. 25 min walk · 1.8 km

    Ełk Lake

    Here the lake is shaped like a boomerang, and an island holds a Teutonic castle

    Ełk Lake is one of the deepest in Poland, its basin divided into three distinct pools with very steep slopes. On an island connected by bridges stands an ancient Teutonic castle.

    Crazy fact

    The deepest point of the lake lies hidden in the northern part of the middle pool, where the steep bottom slopes make fishing nearly impossible.

    Photo: 1957birth, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Directions
Open in the generator

Surprise Walk

2 h 4.9 km 11 stops Start: Old Town

  1. Providence of God Church in Ełk

    A modern cross in a rosette above the Last Supper

    A brick, single-nave church built on a cross plan. The central wall of the presbytery features a cross set within a rosette, with an image of the Last Supper placed directly beneath it.

    Crazy fact

    The church was blessed by the Bishop of Ełk, Jerzy Mazur, on October 28, 2007, five years after the cornerstone was laid.

    Photo: Ath29, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Directions

  2. 10 min walk · 740 m

    Forgotten Roundhouse in Ełk

    Second in Poland for the longest use of steam in scheduled service

    This brick fan-shaped depot from 1906 remembers the thunder of trains right up until 2009. Today, the legendary Ol49 and Ty2 steam locomotives that once hauled trains across the country are rotting away here in the open air.

    Crazy fact

    After Wolsztyn, this was the place where steam locomotives were used in regular scheduled traffic the longest in Poland.

    Photo: 1957birth, CC BY 3.0

    Directions

  3. 6 min walk · 470 m

    Stefan Marcinkiewicz Municipal Stadium

    From the Millennium of the Polish State Stadium to a modern arena with ice and athletics.

    Here, on Piłsudskiego Street, lies the sporting heart of Ełk. Under the roof of the main stand, you'll find not only 2,000 passionate fans but also the locker rooms for Mazur and Rona players, which still remember the days of Płomień.

    Crazy fact

    Until July 23, 2012, the busy national road number 16 ran along the northern side of the stadium via Sikorskiego Street.

    Photo: damist, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions

  4. 10 min walk · 710 m

    St. Adalbert's Cathedral in Ełk

    A neo-Gothic church elevated to a cathedral by John Paul II, who personally crowned its Fatima statue

    Built in 1893, this three-nave basilica houses partially Gothic furnishings. Its greatest treasure is the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, brought here in 1990.

    Crazy fact

    On June 6, 1991, Pope John Paul II personally crowned the statue of Our Lady of Fatima brought from Fátima, and in 1992 he elevated the church to the dignity of the cathedral of the new Diocese of Ełk.

    Photo: Ludwig Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions

  5. 9 min walk · 640 m

    Solidarity Park

    Here, among ancient linden trees, lie the hidden traces of vanished imperial monuments.

    In the very heart of Ełk lies a historic park, established at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries by the City Beautification Society. Listen to the rustle of linden trees planted in honor of the Kaisers and see the historic fountain that remembers its first visitors.

    Crazy fact

    During renovation in 2009, workers stumbled upon the foundations of the former monument to Field Marshal Hindenburg's Infantry Regiment, hidden underground.

    Photo: Historyczka, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl

    Directions

  6. 1 min walk · 80 m

    Baptist Church in Ełk

    An inscription leading from shadows and illusions to truth

    A neo-Gothic church from the early 20th century, built of red brick. Its austere single-nave form reflects the Protestant principle of simplicity and functionality.

    Crazy fact

    In 2012, the city authorities and the Ministry of Interior allocated tens of thousands of zlotys to repair the destroyed roof and save the historic building.

    Photo: Patryk Korzeniecki, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions
More stops (5)

  1. 3 min walk · 210 m

    Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

    A hospital ward that became a home for golden domes

    Imagine: the early 20th century, an ordinary hospital building. Half a century later, its walls began to remember not pain, but prayer, when an Orthodox church was opened here in 1959. Today, it's a place where the history of a modest hospital intertwines with the spirit of Byzantine tradition.

    Crazy fact

    In April 2016, the first dome, 2.5 meters in diameter and weighing half a ton, was hoisted onto the roof of the former hospital, marking a new era for this unusual temple.

    Photo: Patryk Korzeniecki, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions

  2. 2 min walk · 170 m

    Ełk Town Hall

    A tower that remembers German officials and Polish marshals

    Built in 1912, this building was constructed on such a grand scale that today it houses both the city and district authorities, whereas before the war their German counterparts occupied two separate buildings.

    Crazy fact

    A memory chest was buried in front of the building, to be opened only in 2075, on the city's 650th anniversary.

    Photo: Ath29, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions

  3. 1 min walk · 70 m

    Józef Piłsudski Monument

    The man who refused the presidency to keep leading Poland

    Józef Piłsudski went from underground conspiracy to Head of State and Poland's first Marshal. Depending on who walked beside him, he was called the Commander, Granddad, or Ziuk.

    Crazy fact

    In 1926 he was elected President of Poland, but refused to take the office.

    Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

    Directions

  4. 5 min walk · 380 m

    Church of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist

    A church standing on piles above an ancient river

    This parish church was built according to a design by Warsaw architect Andrzej Miklaszewski. It rests on 29 reinforced concrete piles driven nine to nineteen meters deep, as the slope conceals a long-buried river beneath.

    Crazy fact

    Locals still call this spot 'Górka Judyka' — in winter, children from all over Ełk would come here to go sledding.

    Photo: Ath29, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Directions

  5. 10 min walk · 780 m

    Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles in Ełk

    A church raised in just a few months on Ełk's northernmost edge

    In July 1991 a new parish was carved out of the Sacred Heart of Jesus parish for the Północ II housing estate, and by Christmas the faithful were already praying in their own church. Services were first held at a field altar while the shrine was being built.

    Crazy fact

    The priest's temporary dwelling from 1992, meant as a short-term fix, lasted a full 20 years — until the right wing was added in 2012.

    Photo: Ath29, Public domain

    Directions
Open in the generator

Where to start

The places with the fullest texts and photos in our catalogue.

  • Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

    A hospital ward that became a home for golden domes

    Photo: Patryk Korzeniecki, CC BY-SA 3.0

  • Solidarity Park

    Here, among ancient linden trees, lie the hidden traces of vanished imperial monuments.

    Photo: Historyczka, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl

  • Ełk Promenade

    Six kilometres of history, sport, and cinema under the stars along the lake.

    Photo: Patryk Korzeniecki, CC BY-SA 3.0

  • Zofia Nasierowska Municipal Public Library

    A library that began with 500 books collected by the city after the war

    Photo: Niegodzisie, CC BY 4.0

  • Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles in Ełk

    A church raised in just a few months on Ełk's northernmost edge

    Photo: Ath29, Public domain

  • Ełk Castle

    A Teutonic tower on an island, burned down by its own townspeople.

    Photo: Zala, CC BY-SA 4.0

  • Water Tower in Ełk

    Museum of the Water Drop inside an old brick tower

    Photo: RoboD7, CC BY-SA 3.0

  • John Paul II Square

    Where the prayer of 300,000 hearts silenced the echo of military parades

    Photo: Ath29, CC BY-SA 3.0

  • St. Adalbert's Cathedral in Ełk

    A neo-Gothic church elevated to a cathedral by John Paul II, who personally crowned its Fatima statue

    Photo: Ludwig Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0

  • Stefan Marcinkiewicz Municipal Stadium

    From the Millennium of the Polish State Stadium to a modern arena with ice and athletics.

    Photo: damist, CC BY-SA 3.0

  • Forgotten Roundhouse in Ełk

    Second in Poland for the longest use of steam in scheduled service

    Photo: 1957birth, CC BY 3.0

  • Church of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist

    A church standing on piles above an ancient river

    Photo: Ath29, CC BY-SA 3.0

Build your own walk

Pick a mood, the time and a starting point. The route appears on the map, and every stop comes with a text and a photo.

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Hidden gems

The texts are based on Wikipedia and other open sources; photos come from Wikimedia Commons, with author and licence next to each photo. Check opening hours of cafés and museums on the spot.