Łyna: Warmia's largest river and its castles

Łyna – Warmia's main river

The Łyna is Warmia's main river - 264 km long, and its basin (7,126 km²) is the largest in the region. It rises from sandur sands about 10 km north of Nidzica, near the village of Łyna, and its very beginning is remarkable: a dozen, perhaps hundreds, of small springs welling up in ravines and joining into rivulets. They are protected by the "Professor Roman Kobendza Springs of the Łyna River" reserve, established in 1959, whose first statute Professor Kobendza helped draft as early as 1937; people sometimes say it is "almost like the mountains" here. Downstream the Łyna flows through Olsztyn, Dobre Miasto, Lidzbark Warmiński, Bartoszyce and Sępopol, then crosses the border and, on the Russian side, feeds the Pregolya.

The finest castles in Warmia stand along its banks, and along the way there are gorge-like, almost mountain stretches and valuable reserves. This is a river for someone who likes to combine paddling with sightseeing.

The Łyna route: stretches between the hydro plants

You can't paddle the Łyna in one go. The river is changeable - in winter and spring it carries plenty of water and runs fast - and its course is interrupted by a chain of hydro plants: in Olsztyn (the "Łyna" plant), Brąswałd, Dobre Miasto, Lidzbark Warmiński, Wojdyty and Kotowo - each one a portage. Two more, at Lake Ustrych and in Ruś, lie on the reserve stretch that is closed to kayak tourism. Take care right at the start in Olsztyn: by the Młyński Bridge there is a sloping drop about 1.5 m high, behind which a strong backwash forms - running it can be very dangerous, especially at high water. Kayaks are portaged along the pedestrian gallery under the bridge, and catch-pontoons wait on the left bank. Lower down, at Barkweda, the weir under the bridge usually calls for carrying the kayak a few dozen metres along the left bank. Along the whole river you also have to reckon with deadfall - fallen trees often force you to drag or push the kayak through. That is why the Łyna is divided into shorter stretches between the hydro plants, and you pick the ones that suit your skills and your time. Before choosing a stretch, check the current water level.

A few stretches may not be paddled at all. The gorge in the "Las Warmiński" reserve, on the stretch from Lake Ustrych to Ruś, resembles a mountain river and was closed to kayak tourism by the reserve's protection plan (an order of the RDOŚ in Olsztyn from 2016); the riverbed below the hydro plant is under strict protection. Only the fragment linking Lake Łańskie with Lake Ustrych is open to kayaks. You can see the gorge on foot, but not from the water. The first six kilometres or so can be - according to rental descriptions - very difficult in the growing season. And one more important thing: from Lidzbark Warmiński towards the border, the banks in places have been taken over by Sosnowsky's hogweed - a plant that burns severely and is dangerous to health. Do not touch it, and take care when you step ashore.

Beginners and families are best served by the gentler stretches outside the reserves and away from the hogweed - most often the area around Olsztyn and the sections downstream, divided by portages at the hydro plants. Rentals and put-in points are easiest to find in Olsztyn.

Nature along the Łyna: springs and forest gorges

The most precious things on the Łyna are often admired from the bank. The reserve at the source protects a rare phenomenon: the springs "retreat", carving out ravines, while the rivulets form a dense mosaic at the river's beginning. In the "Las Warmiński" reserve the Łyna runs fast among old-growth stands - one of the region's most valuable woodland reserves, accessible on foot.

Along the whole valley the river has kept its natural banks, meanders and oxbows, where beavers make their home and birds hunt. For someone with a camera this is a route of great scope - from the spring-fed ravines, through the forest gorges, to the broad Warmian valleys - as long as you sensibly combine paddling with hikes to the reserves.

Region and history: Olsztyn and the castles of Warmia

The Łyna is the axis of Warmia - the former principality of the bishops of Warmia. Olsztyn lies on the river, with the medieval castle of the Warmian chapter, which in 1521 Nicolaus Copernicus defended against the Teutonic Knights: as administrator of the chapter's estates he prepared the defence, gathered supplies and reinforced the garrison, and the invaders' assault was repelled.

More imposing still is Lidzbark Warmiński with the castle of the bishops of Warmia, raised in 1350-1401 - one of the finest Gothic monuments in Poland. For centuries this was the bishops' seat, until 1795, when the Warmian bishop Ignacy Krasicki, the poet, became Archbishop of Gniezno; Jan Dantyszek and Marcin Kromer were here too, and the castle owes its gardens to Krasicki. On the way it is worth looking in at Dobre Miasto with its monumental collegiate church.

Stretches of the Łyna trip: from Olsztyn to Bartoszyce

The Łyna is best paddled in stretches. Olsztyn-Dobre Miasto leads through Warmia, along wooded, in places gorge-like stretches of the valley. Dobre Miasto-Lidzbark Warmiński links the historic towns of Warmia with the bishops' castle in Lidzbark. The lower stretch, Lidzbark Warmiński-Bartoszyce, rolls through a broad, calm valley towards the border. You can see every stretch on the map below - in "Take it easy" mode, with facilities and water levels along the way. And if you'd rather plan the trip your own way, you can draw your own route in "Your own way" mode.

See the trail on the interactive map Click to load the map with the route drawn in

Towns and villages along the Łyna

The main town and the best base is Olsztyn - the regional capital, with its castle, old town and facilities. Downstream the river passes Dobre Miasto, then Lidzbark Warmiński with the bishops' castle, and Bartoszyce and Sępopol, where the Guber joins the Łyna. The Łyna is a route for someone who wants to get to know Warmia more deeply: its springs, its forest gorges and its castles.