Masuria

Masuria (Polish:  Mazury , German: Masuren) is a region in northern Poland famous for its 2,000 lakes. It has been the part of East Prussia inhabited by Polish-speaking, Lutheran Masurians. Masuria occupies much of the Masurian Lake District (Polish: Pojezierze Mazurskie). Administratively, it belongs to Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (Polish: województwo warmińsko-mazurskie). Its biggest city is Ełk, often regarded as its capital. It has territory of about 10,000 km² and population of 500,000.

History

Old Prussians

Before 13th century, the territory was inhabited by the Old Prussians also called Baltic Prussians, a Baltic ethnic group that lived in Prussia (the lands of the southeastern coastal region of the Baltic Sea around the Vistula Lagoon and the Curonian Lagoon). The territory of later Masuria used to be called that time Galindia and was probably peripheral, very much forested and little populated area. Its inhabitants spoke a language now known as Old Prussian and followed pagan Prussian mythology. Although a 19th-century German political entity bore their name, they were not Germans. They were converted to Roman Catholicism in the 13th century, after conquest by the Knights of the Teutonic Order.

Wielkopolski

The Wielkopolski is a breed of horse that was originated in Central and Western Poland in 1964, and is occasionally known as Mazursko-Poznanski. Its name derives from Wielkopolska ("Great Poland"), a region in west central Poland centred on Poznań.

History

The Wielkopolski was developed by crossing two now extinct Polish breeds, the Pozan and the Mazury, so it is also referred to as the Mazursko-Poznanski. The Pozan or Poznan horse was developed in Poland. This breed was extremely rare, and was bred at the studs at Posadowo, Racot, and Gogolewo. The Pozan was a mixture of Arabian, Thoroughbred, Trakehner, and Hanoverian bloodlines. It was a middleweight farm horse, very versatile, used for riding and agricultural work. The Mazury, also known as the Masuren was developed in Poland as a riding horse. It mainly stemmed from the Trakehner breed and when crossed with the Pozan went on to develop the Wielkopolski breed. The Mazury was bred at the stud at Liski in the Masuria region. A 1963 Polish postage stamp illustrated a Mazury.

Mazury (disambiguation)

Mazury, or Masuria, is a region in north Poland.

Mazury may also refer to:

See also