Ełk
Ełk | |
|---|---|
View of Ełk across the Ełk Lake Art School Ełk Cathedral | |
| Coordinates: 53°49′17″N 22°21′44″E / 53.82139°N 22.36222°E | |
| Country | Poland |
| Voivodeship | Warmian-Masurian |
| County | Ełk |
| Gmina | Ełk (urban gmina) |
| Established | 1237 |
| Town rights | 1445 |
| Government | |
| • City mayor | Tomasz Andrukiewicz |
| Area | |
• Total | 22.07 km2 (8.52 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2021) | |
• Total | 61,677 |
| • Density | 2,930/km2 (7,600/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 19-300 |
| Area code | +48 87 |
| Car plates | NEL |
| Highways | |
| National roads | |
| Website | http://www.elk.pl |
Ełk is a city in northeastern Poland with 61,677 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the seat of Ełk County in the Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship. It lies on the shore of Ełk Lake, which was formed by a glacier, and is surrounded by extensive forests. It is the largest city and unofficial capital of historical Masuria.
Founded in medieval times, Ełk, became a notable regional printing and publishing centre and home to the leading Polish school in Masuria since the early modern period, and in the late modern period it was a center of resistance to preserve Polish language in Masuria against Germanisation policies. It is an important rail and road junction and food industry hub in north-eastern Poland, and the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ełk. One of the principal attractions in the area is legal hunting.