Old towns & squares

Market Square in Gołdap

Victory Square (Plac Zwycięstwa), the former market of Gołdap, was described in the 16th century as the second largest market square in Prussia. In the middle stood a town hall, stalls were set up around it, and the market attracted merchants from the whole region. Today the square has two faces: one part holds a wooded park, the other a paved car park.

The 2011 revitalisation

The park part of the square underwent a thorough transformation in 2011: sick trees were cut down, the pond was cleaned, a fountain was installed and alleys were paved, with benches and an outdoor gym set among the greenery. Opposite the town Magistrate rises the Independence Monument, a sundial stands nearby, and one of the frontages houses the Tourist Information Centre — a convenient starting point for exploring the region.

A health resort on the fringe of Poland

The town itself has the status of a climatic and peat health resort. By the lake stand brine graduation towers, opened in 2014 as the fourth such facility in Poland, and the Spa Park with a mineral water pump room and a salt cave operates nearby. In winter the town turns into a ski resort: on the slopes of Piękna Góra there are over 2000 metres of downhill runs and five lifts, including a chairlift.

In practice

The square is available around the clock, all year, and access is easy. In the area await the water tower in Gołdap (0.7 km), the neo-Gothic Pyramid in Rapa (18 km) and the famous viaducts in Stańczyki (23 km) — a ready route for a one-day trip across the Suwałki region.