Gmina Świętajno | County Szczytno Local time Friday 12:58 AM | |
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Weather -2°C, Wind S at 5 km/h, 96% Humidity Voivodeship Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship | ||
Kolonia [kɔˈlɔɲa] (German: Grünwalde) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Świętajno, within Szczytno County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately 4 kilometres (2 mi) east of Świętajno, 19 km (12 mi) east of Szczytno, and 56 km (35 mi) south-east of the regional capital Olsztyn. It is built as a linear settlement.
Contents
Map of Kolonia, Poland
History
The village exists since 1820 and 1861 was extended to integrate the village Gorkí, today the southern part of the village. Bogumił Linka, a social activist and pioneer of agricultural education, was born in Gorkí in 1865. In the late nineteenth century, a train station was built. 1916, a school was added to the village. In the East Prussian plebiscite of 1920, which was largely boycotted by ethnic Poles, the inhabitants voted to remain in Germany. In 1928, Groß Lontzig (Łąck Wielki) was integrated to Kolonia.
Before 1945 the area was part of Germany (East Prussia). After World War II the region was placed under Polish administration by the Potsdam Agreement under territorial changes demanded by the Soviet Union. Most Germans fled or were expelled and replaced with Poles expelled from the Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union or Ukrainians forced to settle in the area through Operation Vistula in 1947.
Social
Stowarzyszenie Wspomagania works with physically and mentally challenged people in Kolonia.
Tourism
Kolonia has a train station on the railway Olsztyn-Ełk. It is a part of the touristic region of Masuria with its many lakes and recreational places. Visitors can visit a remarkable collection of Natural history exhibits from all over the world in the Muzeum Misyjno-Etnograficzne Księży Werbistów. The village has many traditional wood houses in good shape. The foresters lodge "Kolonia – Leśniczówka" is placed in Łąck (today Racibor), 3 km north of Kolonia. From there at the popular lake "Jeziora Świętajno" springs the river stream "Rozoga", which also leads through Kolonia. Half a kilometre from the lodge, there is an old cemetery.