If you choose Szczytno as your destination, you can plan your trip around three distinct themes: the medieval history of Gródek Szczytno, lakes and landscape conservation, and cycling and paddling routes. A named cycling route passes through Szczytno; a section of the Brda is rated easy.

Gródek: island, ramparts and castellan’s seat

Gródek Szczytno is an island in Lake Jezioro Szczytno. The former stronghold of Gródek is surrounded by ramparts more than four metres high and was the seat of a castellan in the Middle Ages. This brings together the island location, fortifications and historical function at one specific place. These three aspects offer geographical, architectural and historical perspectives on Gródek.

Szczytno was also once a castellanate of the dukes of Gdańsk. This adds to the picture of Gródek, but refers to a different historical level: the castellanate relates to Szczytno, while the castellan’s seat was on the island. When putting the destination’s history into context, you can distinguish between the history of the locality and a specific historical site.

Lake district and getting your bearings

Lake Jezioro Szczytno Wielkie is a ribbon lake on the northern edge of the Pojezierze Krajeńskie lake district and lies within the “Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu Jezior Krępsko i Szczytno” protected landscape area. The lake is therefore part of a particular type of landscape, a regional setting and a protected landscape area. This offers a different way of exploring Szczytno from the history surrounding Gródek.

Szczytno is also close to the Brda River and Lake Jezioro Końskie. These bodies of water provide additional reference points when you include the landscape in your travel plans. Together with the description of Lake Jezioro Szczytno Wielkie, they give you a perspective that takes the lakes and river into account alongside the town’s cultural and historical features.

Cycling routes and paddling route

There are two named cycling routes to distinguish. The “Wokół jezior” route passes through Szczytno. The “Do Zawady i nad Jezioro Szczytno” route is intended for cycle tourism and names Zawada and Lake Jezioro Szczytno as its destinations.

The two route descriptions answer different questions about getting your bearings: “Wokół jezior” focuses on the route through the town, while the route to Zawada and the lake is defined by its named destinations. When choosing a cycling route, you can therefore consider whether you want Szczytno itself to be on the route or would prefer the route identified by its destinations.

The Brda also offers a different perspective on the region. A section runs from Dolinka via Lake Jezioro Szczytno and Lake Jezioro Krępsko to Przechlewo and is rated easy. The sequence of places and the difficulty rating provide two specific points of reference for this paddling route. The “easy” rating applies to this particular section.

Comparing the activities reveals a practical difference: cycling routes can be understood by their course or destination, while the Brda section also has a difficulty rating. This lets you consider cycling and paddling as different focuses for your trip.

Discover more destinations: Jeziernik, Dolinka, Debrzno, Starzno, Koczała, Polnica, Rzeczenica, Wierzchowo.

For the overall travel overview: Schlochau.