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'Ełk' (before 1946, in ; before 1939 rendered in Polish as ''Łęg'' or ''Łęk''; in Old Prussian: ''Luks'') is a town in northeastern Poland with 55,846 inhabitants (as of 2004). It was assigned to Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 1999, after belonging to Suwałki Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998. Ełk is the capital of Ełk County.
The city lies on a shore of Ełckie Lake, which was formed by a glacier. Surrounded by forests, the area is part of the region of Masuria. One of its principal attractions is hunting, which is carried out in extensive forests.

Contents

History

Notable residents

Education

High School

Religion

Coat of arms

Twin towns

External links

History

By 1283 the last Sudovian leader, Skomand, capitulated to the Teutonic Knights in the Lyck area. After 1323, the northern part of the region was administered by the Komturship of Brandenburg, while the larger part with the later town belonged to Komturship Balga. A former Old Prussian settlement, the town was first documented in 1398 around an Ordensburg castle built by the Teutonic Knights. The town's German name, ''Lyck'', is derived from its Old Prussian name, ''Luks'' (from the word for waterlily, ''luka''). It received its town rights in 1445.
Before World War I, Lyck had 13,000 inhabitants. Many citizens fled when Imperial Russian troops attacked, but returned after the war. The town was occupied by English and Italian troops until the Treaty of Versailles. A plebiscite in Lyck resulted in 8,339 votes for Germany and 8 for Poland. The town was reconstructed after suffering heavy damage from the Russian attack.
Lyck was again heavily destroyed by bombardments in World War II and was captured by the Soviet Union in 1945. The county of Lyck had 53,000 inhabitants when the Soviet Army approached in January 1945; 20% of the populace did not survive. The town was placed under Polish administration in April 1945, and the town was rebuilt and renamed Ełk (before 1939, Polish names for the town included ''Łęg'' and ''Łęk''). Only a few hundred Germans were able to return and to remain, with Poles making up the majority of the new population.

Notable residents

★ Ludwig von Baczko (1756-1821), historian

★ Hugo Zwillenberg (1885-1966), businessman

★ Siegfried Lenz (born 1926), author

★ Cezary Zamana (born 1967), cyclist

Education

★ University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn

★ Private Economic Academy

★ Nursery School

★ Higher Catholic Seminary

High School

★ Zespół Szkół Ekonomicznych

★ Zespół Szkół Mechaniczno - Elektrycznych

★ Zespół Szkół nr 1

★ Zespół Szkół nr 2 im. K. K. Baczyńskiego (swww)

★ Zespół Szkół nr 3 im. J. H. Małeckich (www)

★ I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. S. Żeromskiego (www)

★ Zespół Szkół Rolniczych im. M. Rataja

★ 'Zespół Szkół Samorządowych'

★ Zespół Szkół nr.6 im. M. Rataja | (www)

Religion

The main religion in Ełk is Roman Catholicism, although a number of Protestant churches are also represented and play an important role in the religious life of the population. These include the Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal (Assemblies of God - ''Kościół Zielonoświątkowy''), Charismatic (''Kościół Chrześcijański "Słowo Życia"'' or Word of Faith Christian Church, with its Ełk congregation being probably one of the few local churches in Poland pastored by a woman, Ms Teresa Odolecka) and other churches. Before World War II, the city and its surroundings were almost entirely (>95%) Protestant, as they were northern Germans. Today, Ełk is the center of the Catholic Diocese of Ełk with its bishop Jerzy Mazur.

Coat of arms

The current coat of arms of Ełk were adopted in 1999, after the town was visited by the pope John Paul II. The colors have been changed (from green to yellow), the deer is different then in the former emblem. Lastly is the addition of the insignia of the Papacy.
Until 1967, a different emblem with the two-faced head of the god Janus was used, but its origin is unknown[1].

Twin towns

Hagen, Nettetal, Nemenčinė, Burlington

External links

★ Municipal website

★ Ełk information

★ Kreisgemeinschaft Lyck e.V.

★ Historical postcards from Lyck (Ełk)

★ Google satellite photo