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34-537: Giżycko is a popular summer tourist destination due to its location within the Masurian Lake District and possesses numerous historical monuments, including a 14th-century Teutonic castle. The first known settlements in the area of today's Giżycko were recorded in Roman times by Tacitus in his Germania and are connected to Amber Road in vicinity of which Giżycko was located. A defensive settlement of

68-828: A military-intelligence organization of the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) - the Supreme High Command of the German Army before and during World War II . It focused on analyzing the Soviet Union and other East European countries before and during the war. Fremde Heere Ost was established on 10 November 1938 as 12 Department of the General Staff of the Army, attached to the section Senior Quartermaster IV ( German : Oberquartiermeister IV ). It

102-612: A department during World War I . During World War I, the department was heavily involved in military intelligence, counter-intelligence and sabotage. Later as it developed, it became involved in propaganda as well. Its main rival and competitor was the Naval Intelligence Department, ( German : Marinenachrichtendienst ), a department of the Imperial German Navy . With the Treaty of Versailles ,

136-479: A result of the treaty of Versailles , the 1920 East Prussian plebiscite was organized under the control of the League of Nations . During the preparations for the plebiscite, a German militia attacked a pro-Polish rally with around 1,000 people. Speakers and people attending the rally were severely beaten; the main pro-Polish leader of the rally Fryderyk Leyk was beaten so badly that he just barely survived. Afterwards

170-460: A temperate climate with cold winters and warm summers. The weather here is generally a bit cooler than in most parts of Poland, and the area usually experiences several snowfalls during the winter. The Masurian lakes are oftentimes frozen from December until the end of February. Springtime can be wet, while summers are generally drier. Foreign Armies East Foreign Armies East ( German : Fremde Heere Ost (FHO) , founded in 1938), operated as

204-454: Is twinned with: Masurian Lake District The Masurian Lake District or Masurian Lake Land ( Polish : Pojezierze Mazurskie ) is a lake district in northeastern Poland within the geographical region of Masuria , in the past inhabited by Masurians who spoke the Masurian dialects . It contains more than 2,000 lakes. The district had been elected as one of the 28 finalists of

238-539: Is located on the shore of Lake Niegocin. It has an ancient fortress, historic church, bridges, and passenger boats to the towns of Węgorzewo , Mikołajki and Ruciane-Nida . The town of Mikołajki is a popular tourism center. In addition to lakes, the Masurian region also has many rivers used for fly fishing, and forest areas that offer many trails for trekking and biking. There is also a variety of wildlife, edible berries and mushrooms, and large protected areas, including

272-693: The Baltic Prussians was known to exist in the area, and in IX was recorded as being ruled by king known as Izegup or Jesegup. After his failed attempt in 997 AD Bolesław I the Brave sent another expedition in 1008 to conquer/Christianize the Old Prussians . Just like St. Adalbert the missionary Bruno of Querfurt was killed by Sudovians near Lake Niegocin in 1009, and a memorial the Bruno – cross

306-652: The Baltic Sea . The whole area is a prime tourist destination, frequented by boating enthusiasts, canoeists , anglers, hikers, bikers and nature-lovers. It is one of the most famous lake districts in Central Europe and a popular vacation spot, with a high number of visitors every year. The lake district was shaped by glaciers during the Pleistocene ice age . Many of its hills are parts of moraines and many of its lakes are moraine-dammed lakes . From

340-579: The Boyen Fortress , a fortress named after the Prussian war-minister Hermann von Boyen , was built on a small landtongue between lake Mamry (Mauersee) and lake Niegocin (Löwentinsee). This fortress is one of the largest and best conditioned fortresses of the 19th century. In 1942–1945 it was the headquarters of the German military intelligence service ( Fremde Heere Ost ) under Reinhard Gehlen . As

374-543: The Masurian Landscape Park that includes eleven nature reserves such as the Łuknajno Lake that is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve , or the Białowieża Forest , with a breeding station for European Bison . There are four separate boating trails set up along connecting lakes: from Giżycko to Węgorzewo and Ruciane-Nida, and from Mikołajki to Pisz and Ryn. There are also two kayaking trails along rivers,

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408-863: The New 7 Wonders of Nature . The Lakeland extends roughly 290 km (180 mi) eastwards from the lower Vistula to the Poland– Russia border, and occupies an area of roughly 52,000 square kilometres (20,000 sq mi). Administratively, the Lake District lies within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship . Small parts of the district lie within the Masovian and Podlaskie Voivodeships . The lakes are well connected by rivers and canals , forming an extensive system of waterways. The 18th-century Masurian Canal links this system to

442-720: The Pentagon was also involved. These operations eventually led to the formation of Operation X, Operation Rusty, 'the Organization', 'the Org', and finally, the ' Gehlen Organization '. The Gehlen Organization became a powerful spy ring during the early years of the Cold War. Eventually, this organization was transformed into the Bundesnachrichtendienst , or BND, West Germany 's intelligence service. Many of

476-701: The United States . In July 1941 Reinhard Gehlen was attached to FHO, and by the spring of 1942 became its head. In 1942, Gehlen predicted the downfall of the Nazi state , and the coming Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. He planned to preserve his office of the FHO and then to present it to the US as a sort of gift. As the war ended, Gehlen hid himself, his staff and his microfilmed files in

510-527: The Vilnius Region . The town was renamed Giżycko in 1946 in honor of the Masurian folklorist Gustaw Gizewiusz , a 19th-century Evangelical-Lutheran pastor in southern Masuria , who had greatly supported Polish language and Polish culture and stood against Germanisation of Masuria. From 1975 to 1998, it was administratively part of the Suwałki Voivodeship . Up to the 19th century,

544-897: The 13th century on, the Lakeland was successively part of the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights , the Duchy of Prussia , and the Prussian province of East Prussia . In modern times, while part of the German Empire , it was the location of the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes (1914) and the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes (1915) during World War I . At the end of World War II (1945), following

578-472: The Polish population formed a majority in the city, with a small presence of Germans. By the middle of 19th century German minority became much more numerous and Germanization made rapid progress in the city. When Poland made the so far only international appearance in bandy , the city was represented. The local football team is Mamry Giżycko  [ pl ] . It competes in the lower leagues. Giżycko

612-573: The army was drastically reduced and military intelligence was disallowed. However, a troop office, called Department T 3 ( German : Truppenamt ) also referred to the Army Statistical Department ( German : Heeresstatistische Abteilung ) was created to be the new military intelligence department, but essentially a continuation of the old department. Most of the information that came into the department came from open sources, specifically daily news and military news. For example,

646-519: The attitude of Polish population in the town was resigned and part of the population boycotted the vote while others openly voted for Germany fearing revenge; 4,900 votes were cast to remain in East Prussia, and therefore Germany, and none for Poland. Afterwards aggressive Germanisation was intensified, and during Nazi rule in Germany, there was practical ban on speaking Polish in public places in

680-683: The chaos of the downfall of Hitler's government. General William Wilson Quinn of the US Seventh Army , recognized Gehlen's name from a report by Allen Dulles of the OSS . He ensured Gehlen and his material were brought to the attention of the US government. Gehlen revealed his plan for Foreign Armies East to Captain John Boker of US Military Intelligence , who persuaded General Edwin Sibert of USFET to listen to Gehlen. The J-2 staff of

714-561: The decision taken at the Potsdam Agreement , all national borders were redrawn , the area annexed by Communist Poland and its German residents expelled . Mother tongue of the inhabitants of Masuria , by county, during the first half of the 19th century: The Masurian Lakeland can be reached by train, bus or car. The nearest international airports are in Szymany , Warsaw , Gdańsk and Vilnius . The main transport hubs in

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748-532: The dissolution of the Teutonic state in 1525. The settlement near the castle received town privileges , with a coat of arms and seal , in 1612, while part of the Duchy of Prussia (under Polish suzerainty until 1701). The first mayor was Paweł Rudzki. The Polish name of the town, used by its overwhelmingly Polish population, at the time was Łuczany . Lötzen became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701 and

782-521: The most popular being the Krutynia River Trail. On top of that, there are several color-marked walking trails with numerous points of interest for qualified tourism. They include: Historical sights include the ruins of Hitler 's fortified World War II headquarters, the Wolf's Lair , near Kętrzyn (former German name: Rastenburg), which has become a major tourist destination. Masuria has

816-616: The north and finishes in Pisz. This Waterway is new for pleasure boats. Only boats with a low waterdraft can go as far as Pisz on the Pisa. Masuria is famous for its lakes and forests, offering a wide range of outdoor activities from sailing to kayaking and swimming. The region includes the largest lake in Poland, called Śniardwy . The resort towns include the most popular, Giżycko and Mikołajki , Węgorzewo , Ryn , Pisz and Iława . Giżycko

850-902: The officer responsible for intelligence gathering from Great Britain from sources like The Daily Telegraph , the United Services Review , the Journal of the Royal United Services Institution and the Journal of the Royal Engineers . In 1935, the department was renamed to Abteilung Fremde Heere or Department of Foreign Armies, and it was finally renamed on 10 November 1938 by Franz Halder who split it into two departments called Fremde Heere Ost and Fremde Heere West . The offices of both organizations were located at 76 Tirpitzufer in Berlin , which

884-619: The region are the towns of Olsztyn and Ełk . There are trains to Masuria from Warsaw, Gdańsk and Vilnius, and buses from many Polish cities. A boat service connects some central towns in the region. Biking and boating are popular ways to get around. Hotels can be found in close proximity to the Great Masurian Lakes, in the towns of Giżycko , Mikołajki and Ełk among others. There are also guesthouses and campsites in surrounding villages. The Masuren Waterway starts in Węgorzewo in

918-713: The region to the Kingdom of Poland upon the request of the Prussian Confederation , and after the subsequent outbreak of the Thirteen Years’ War in 1454, Łuczany sided with Poland. The settlement was captured by the Teutonic Knights in 1455, but the Poles recaptured it the next year. After the peace treaty signed in Toruń in 1466 it became part of Poland as a fief held by the Teutonic Order, until

952-636: The town. In the 1930s Lötzen was the garrison of several military units of the Wehrmacht as a Sub-area Headquarter of Wehrkreis I, which was headquartered at Königsberg . Staff-, maintenance- and guardtroops of Hitler's headquarter Wolfsschanze and the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH, army high command) were also based in or nearby Lötzen. The OKH was based at the Mauerwald area, ca. 10 km north of Giżycko, an undestroyed bunker system. The town

986-603: The town. After the Napoleonic Wars , the town was hit by fire and famine. King Frederick William IV of Prussia , during his visit in 1845, was received in the town by 10,000 impoverished people chanting Chleba! ( Bread! in Polish). The King replied to the crowd in Polish as the last Prussian ruler to speak Polish. From 1875 to 1892 the Polish-language weekly newspaper Gazeta Lecka was published. In 1844–1848

1020-472: Was and is colloquially known as Bendlerblock . Fremde Heere Ost was the third branch of the German General Staff, while Fremde Heere West was the twelfth. The FHO initial task was the collection of statistical and technical data on the armies that Germany was at war with or countries that it had planned to invade including Poland , Scandinavia , Balkans , the Soviet Union , China ,and

1054-404: Was commanded by Oberstleutnant Eberhard Kinzel from November 1938 to March 1942. Oberstleutnant Reinhard Gehlen replaced Kinzel on 1 April 1942 on the orders of Chief of the General Staff, General Franz Halder , with an initial staffing of about 35 people. Foreign Armies East was the successor organisation of Department IIIb of the German General Staff, a section since 1889, and only became

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1088-489: Was erected near in 1910. The Teutonic Knights built a castle named Lötzen ( Łuczany in Polish, later also Lec ) in 1340, located at the isthmus between two lakes in today's Masuria . Lötzen was administered within the commandery of Balga . Since the Late Middle Ages , it was mainly populated by Poles from nearby Mazovia , known as Masurians . In 1454, Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon incorporated

1122-549: Was made part of the newly established province of East Prussia in 1773. In 1709/10 the plague claimed 800 victims, only 119 inhabitants survived. In the 19th century, a new Lutheran church based on design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel was erected in the centre of the town. Lötzen became part of the German Empire in 1871 during the Prussian-led unification of Germany . In June 1807, the Polish corps of generals Józef Zajączek and Jan Henryk Dąbrowski were stationed in

1156-428: Was occupied by the Soviet Union 's Red Army in 1945 during World War II and placed under Polish administration after the war ended. The German-speaking populace who had not been evacuated during the war were subsequently expelled westward in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement . The remaining Polish populace was joined by Poles displaced from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union , particularly from

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