Olsztyn

Olsztyn ( , ; ) is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. The population of the city was estimated at 169,793 residents The city is also known for its association with Nicolaus Copernicus, who lived there and commanded the successful Polish defense of the city during a 1521 Teutonic invasion, with the castle containing an astronomical table made by Copernicus. Today, the castle houses a museum and is a venue for concerts, art exhibitions, film shows and other cultural events, which make Olsztyn a popular tourist destination.

Olsztyn, for a number of years, has been ranked very highly in quality of life, income, employment and safety. It is one of the best places in Poland to live and work. It is also one of the happiest cities in the country. Allenstein was granted municipal rights by the cathedral chapter of the Bishopric of Warmia in October 1353. The German "Allenstein" referred to the river's Baltic Prussian name Alna, which meant a hind. The town was captured by the Kingdom of Poland during the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War in 1410, and again in 1414 during the Hunger War, but it was returned to the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights after hostilities ended.

The city joined the Prussian Confederation in 1440, and rebelled against the Teutonic Knights in 1454 upon the outbreak of the Thirteen Years' War to join the Kingdom of Poland under King Casimir IV Jagiellon. In 1454, upon the request of the Confederation, King Casimir IV signed the act of incorporation of the region to Poland, and the townspeople took the castle and recognized the Polish king as the rightful ruler. The Second Peace of Thorn in 1466 confirmed Allenstein as part of the Kingdom of Poland. Administratively it was located in the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia within the provinces of Royal Prussia and Greater Poland.

Early modern era

thumb|left|[[James the Great|Saint James's Parish Church (now Pro-cathedral) in the Old Town, 2009]]

From 1516 to 1521, Nicolaus Copernicus lived in the town castle as an administrator and then in Mehlsack (Melzak, now Pieniężno). Copernicus was in charge of the Polish defences in the Siege of Allenstein during the Polish-Teutonic War of 1519–21. He also started and managed the repopulation of the region, inviting a new wave of Polish settlers from Mazovia.

The growth of the city started again after it became a district seat in 1818, In the early 1830s the city suffered from a cholera epidemic and a hunger crisis, however afterwards it flourished again, when despite Germanisation policies it was administered by Polish mayor Jakub Rarkowski from 1836 to 1865. Under Rarkowski the city was expanded and modernized, The town hospital was founded in 1867.

thumb|Headline of the first issue of Gazeta Olsztyńska from 1886

In 1871, with the unification of Germany, Allenstein became part of the German Empire. Two years later, the city was connected by railway to Thorn (Toruń). Despite Germanisation attempts the city remained an important Polish centre. Its first Polish language newspaper, the Gazeta Olsztyńska, was founded in 1886. Allenstein's infrastructure developed rapidly: gas was installed in 1890, telephones in 1892, public water supply in 1898, and electricity in 1907. The Provincial Mental Sanatorium Kortau was established in 1886 just south of Allenstein (today part of Olsztyn-Kortowo). In 1905, the city became the capital of Regierungsbezirk Allenstein, a government administrative region in East Prussia. From 1818 to 1910, the city was administered within the East Prussian Allenstein District, after which it became an independent city.

World War I, interbellum and World War II

thumb|left|Kopernikusplatz (postcard, 1917)

Shortly after the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Russian troops captured Allenstein, but it was recovered by the Imperial German Army in the Battle of Tannenberg.

After the defeat of Germany in World War I, the East Prussian plebiscite was held in 1920 to determine whether the populace of the region, including Allenstein, wished to remain in German East Prussia or become part of Poland, which had just regained independence. In order to advertise the plebiscite, special postage stamps were produced by overprinting German stamps and sold on 3 April of that year. One kind of overprint read PLÉBISCITE / OLSZTYN / ALLENSTEIN, while the other read TRAITÉ / DE / VERSAILLES / ART. 94 et 95 inside an oval whose border gave the full name of the plebiscite commission. Each overprint was applied to 14 denominations ranging from 5 Pfennigs to 3 Marks. The Polish community faced discrimination, Polish rallies were dispersed, the participants were threatened and beaten. He was buried in Allenstein, however, his grave was soon devastated by local German nationalists. A monument to Linka was unveiled after Poland regained control of the city after World War II. The plebiscite, held on 11 July, produced 16,742 votes for Germany and 342 votes for Poland. After the January 1933 Nazi seizure of power in Germany, Poles and Jews in Allenstein were increasingly persecuted. In an attempt to rig the results of an upcoming census and understate the number of Poles in the city and region, the Germans terrorized the Polish population and, in May 1939, the Gestapo confiscated 10,000 Polish information leaflets in the headquarters of the Gazeta Olsztyńska. In August 1939, Germany introduced martial law in the region, which allowed for even more blatant persecution of Poles. In August and September 1939, the authorities carried out mass arrests of local Poles, including the chairman of the local Polish bank and his assistant, the chief of the "Rolnik" Cooperative, and the principal of the local Polish school.

Nazi Germany co-formed the Einsatzgruppe V in the city, which then entered several Polish cities and towns, including Grudziądz, Mława, Ciechanów, Łomża and Siedlce, to commit various atrocities against Poles during the German invasion of Poland that began World War II in 1939. German troops invaded Poland also from Olsztyn (then called Allenstein). After the German invasion of Poland, local Poles were also subjected to mass executions The Gazeta Olsztyńska and Mazur were abolished by the German authorities, the newspaper's headquarters was demolished and the editor-in-chief Seweryn Pieniężny was arrested and executed in the The last pre-war Polish consul in Allenstein, Bohdan Jałowiecki, along with the consulate staff, was imprisoned in the Hohenbruch and Soldau concentration camps, and then murdered. Polish teachers were deported to the Dachau concentration camp.

On 22 January 1945, near the end of the war, the city was plundered and burned by the conquering Soviet Red Army, and much of its German population fled. The remaining, mostly Polish population, was subjected to various crimes, including murder, rape and looting.

On 23 May 1945, the Soviets established a Polish administration in the region which aroused British and American protest. The Polish rule was accepted under the preliminary provisions of the Potsdam Conference. In October 1945, the remaining German population was expelled. The remaining Poles were joined by new Polish settlers, mostly those expelled from pre-war Polish regions of Vilnius, Grodno and Volhynia, annexed by the Soviet Union, as well as settlers from Warsaw, which had been destroyed by German forces during World War II. A tyre factory was founded in Olsztyn in 1967. Its subsequent names included OZOS, Stomil and Michelin. City limits were greatly expanded in 1966 and 1987. On the 500th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus, in 1973, a planetarium was opened in Olsztyn.

The castle had played a huge role in the Polish-Teutonic wars by then. After the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, the Poles took it after a few days siege. In the Thirteen Years' War (1454–66) it was jumping from rule to rule. The Knights threatened the castle and the town in 1521, but the defense was very effective. They contained one failed assault. There is a connection between the history of the castle, the city of Olsztyn, and Nicolaus Copernicus. He prepared the defense of Olsztyn against the invasion of the Teutonic Knights in 1520. In 1718, Bishop Teodor Andrzej Potocki imposed a ban on Jewish trade in the city as well. The ban, even if continued by successive bishops, proved not to be particularly successful in the light of repeated complains by the local merchants about Jewish dealing in animal leather and similar products as the one recorded in 1742. Permanent Jewish settlement can be dated to 1780 when the Jews were finally permitted to settle in the city albeit outside the immediate city walls. In 1814, the Simonson brothers opened the first Jewish store. Yet the growth of the Jewish community worried city authorities, who tried to curb it with restrictions and punitive measures. In 1850, a new law imposed fines and imprisonment on anyone who harboured a "wandering" Jew in their home.

thumb|Former [[Mendelsohn House|Jewish Tahara house]]

The roots of the Jewish congregation in the town can be traced to 1820. Shortly after that date, an official prayer room was established on Richterstraße. In 1877, the congregation bought a plot of land on Liebstädterstraße and built a synagogue there. A Jewish cemetery was built on Seestraße (present-day Grunwaldzka). At its peak, the town's Jewish population reached 448 people (1933).

During the Kristallnacht, the town synagogue was destroyed by Nazi Germans, only to be later used as a bomb shelter. Today, the site of the former synagogue is occupied by a local sports club.

By 1939, only 135 Jews were left in the city. The remainder fled the country. Those who still lived in the town by 1940 were deported to Nazi concentration camps. In June 1946, 16 Holocaust survivors settled in the city and in 1948, the congregation had 190 worshipers. Most of them emigrated to Israel throughout the next few decades. There is no trace of the Jewish cemetery.

The city was the birthplace of world-famous Jewish architect Erich Mendelsohn. In town, Mendelsohn planned the mourners' chapel (called the Mendelsohn house) next to the cemetery. The building is restored. In addition, it was the birthplace of German Socialist and SPD leader Hugo Haase. , an Impressionist, lived and worked in the city from 1910 to 1927. Documentation of the Jewish owned shops in town exists.

Geography

thumb|[[Lake Ukiel (Krzywe)]]

thumb|Lake Kortowskie

thumb|Lake Tyrsko (Żbik)

Olsztyn is located in the north-east part of Poland in the region known as the "Thousand Lakes".

Greenbelt

More than half of the forests occupying 21.2% of the city area form a single complex of the Municipal Forest (1050 ha) used mainly for recreation and tourism purposes. Within the Municipal Forest area are situated two peat-land flora sanctuaries, Mszar and Redykajny. Municipal greenery (560 ha, 6.5% of the town area) developed in the form of numerous parks, green spots and three cemeteries over a century old. The greenery includes 910 monuments of nature and groups of protected trees in the form of beech, oak, maple and lime-lined avenues.

Lakes

The city is situated in a lake region of forests and plains. There are 15 lakes inside the administrative bounds of the city (13 with areas greater than 1 ha). The overall area of lakes in Olsztyn is about 725 ha, which constitutes 8.25% of the total city area.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="border:1px solid #f2f2f2; margin:1px 0; font-size:84%;"

!| Lake

!| Area (ha)

!| Maximum depth (m)

| Lake Ukiel (a.k.a. Jezioro Krzywe) || 412 || 43

| Lake Kortowskie || 89.7 || 17.2

| Lake Track (a.k.a. Trackie) || 52.8 || 4.6

| Lake Skanda || 51.5 || 12

| Lake Redykajny || 29.9 || 20.6

| Lake Długie || 26.8 || 17.2

| Lake Sukiel || 20.8 || 25

| Lake Tyrsko (a.k.a. Żbik or Duży Żbik) || 18.6 || 30.6

| Lake Stary Dwór || 6.0 || 23.3

| Lake Siginek || 6.0 || insufficient data

| Lake Czarne || approximately 1.3 || insufficient data

| Lake Żbik (a.k.a. Mały Żbik) || approximately 1.2 || insufficient data

| Lake Pereszkowo || approximately 1.2 || insufficient data

| Lake Mummel || approximately 0.3 || insufficient data

| Lake Modrzewiowe || 0.25 || insufficient data

Climate

Olsztyn has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb) using the isotherm or a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfb) using the isotherm.

Administrative division

thumb|Districts of Olsztyn

Olsztyn is divided into 23 districts:

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:84%"

!District

!Population

!Area

!data-sort-type="number"|Density

|Brzeziny|| align="right" | 1,456 || || 647.1/km2

|Dajtki|| align="right" | 5,863 || || 781.7/km2

|Generałów|| align="right" | 6,500 || no data || no data

|Grunwaldzkie|| align="right" | 6,027 || || 4,128.1/km2

|Gutkowo|| align="right" | 2,256 || || 313.3/km2

|Jaroty|| align="right" | 29,046 || || 6,026.1/km2

|Kętrzyńskiego|| align="right" | 7,621 || || 1,577.8/km2

|Kormoran|| align="right" | 16,166 || || 14,696.4/km2

|Kortowo|| align="right" | 1,131 || || 268/km2

|Kościuszki|| align="right" | 6,704 || || 5,681.4/km2

|Likusy|| align="right" | 2,286 || || 1,088.6/km2

|Mazurskie|| align="right" | 4,615 || || 771.7/km2

|Nad Jeziorem Długim|| align="right" | 2,408 || || 569.3/km2

|Nagórki|| align="right" | 12,538 || || 7,418.9/km2

|Pieczewo|| align="right" | 10,918 || || 4,874.1/km2

|Podgrodzie|| align="right" | 11,080 || || 8,207.4/km2

|Podleśna|| align="right" | 10,414 || || 1,048.7/km2

|Pojezierze|| align="right" | 13,001 || || 5,439.7/km2

|Redykajny|| align="right" | 1,555 || || 254.9/km2

|Śródmieście|| align="right" | 3,448 || || 5,944.8/km2

|Wojska Polskiego|| align="right" | 6,759 || || 1,343.7/km2

|Zatorze|| align="right" | 6,988 || || 15,528.9/km2

|Zielona Górka|| align="right" | 1,015 || || 157.6/km2

There are many smaller districts: Jakubowo, Karolin, Kolonia Jaroty, Kortowo II, Łupstych, Niedźwiedź, Piękna Góra, Podlesie, Pozorty, Skarbówka Poszmanówka, Słoneczny Stok, Stare Kieźliny, Stare Miasto, Stare Zalbki, Stary Dwór, Track. These do not have council representative assemblies.

Culture

thumb|Stefan Jaracz Theatre (built 1925)

thumb|Museum of Nature

Theatres

Stefan Jaracz Theatre (est. 1925) the host of International Theatre Festival DEMOLUDY
Puppet Theatre

Cinemas

Helios
Multikino

Museums

Museum of Warmia and Mazury (Muzeum Warmii i Mazur) – Olsztyn's largest museum.
Gazeta Olsztyńska House (Dom "Gazety Olsztyńskiej")
Museum of Nature (Muzeum Przyrody)
Museum of Sports (Muzeum Sportu)
Muzeum Nowoczesności

Architecture

thumb|Old townhouses at the Rynek (Market Square) in the Old Town

The historic central district of Olsztyn is the Old Town (Stare Miasto), which contains various historic buildings and structures, including:

the Gothic castle of Warmian Chapter, built during the 14th century, former home of Nicolaus Copernicus, now a museum
Gothic St. James' Pro-cathedral with Gothic-Renaissance-Baroque interior
Old Town Hall on the Market Square – built in the mid-14th century.
Gazeta Olsztyńska House at the Targ Rybny ("Fish Market"), now a museum.
the town walls and the High Gate (until the mid-19th century known as the Upper Gate).
Our Lady Queen of Poland church
Monument to Nicolaus Copernicus
Park Zamkowy (Castle Park)
Baroque Archpresbyter's Palace (Pałac Archiprezbitera)
Gothic Revival Church of the Salvator

Notable structures outside of the Old Town include:

the New City Hall
Jewish Tahara house in Olsztyn built in 1911–1912 by Erich Mendelsohn
Modernist planetarium with mosaics by Stefan Knapp
the , built in 1565
Neogothic Sacred Heart church, built during the years 1901–1902
Church of St. Lawrence in the Gutkowo district, built in the late 14th century
Home Army and Stefan Jaracz monuments and the White Eagle Column
the Railway Bridge over the River Łyna gorge near Artyleryjska and Wyzwolenia streets, built during the years 1872–1873
Main Post Office
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship office
Instytut Północny im. Wojciecha Kętrzyńskiego ("Wojciech Kętrzyński Northern Institute")
Park Centralny (Central Park)
the Książnica Polska building with one of the oldest active passenger elevators in Poland and Europe
FM- and TV-mast Olsztyn-Pieczewo – 360 metres high, since the collapse of the Warsaw radio mast the tallest structure in Poland

Olsztyn, Wysoka Brama..jpg|High Gate

Olsztyn-kościół garnizonowy.jpg|Our Lady Queen of Poland Church

Wikiekspedycja 2012, Yarl, Olsztyn, ratusz.jpg|New City Hall

OLSZTYN, AB. 067.JPG|Astronomical observatory

Kaplica Jerozolimska w Olsztynie.jpg|Jerusalem Chapel

KP, Olsztyn, kościół Najświętszego Serca PJ.JPG|Sacred Heart church

Olsztyn, ul. Emilii Plater 1.jpg|Voivodeship office

</gallery>

Music

The city is home to the National Symphony Orchestra.

Economy

thumb|[[Michelin Polska tyre company]]

The Michelin Polska tyre company (former Stomil Olsztyn) is the largest employer in the region of Warmia and Masuria. Other important industries are food processing and furniture manufacturing.

Transportation

Road

Bus

A bus network with 36 bus lines exists, including 6 suburban lines and 2 night-time lines.

Trolleybus

In 1939, due to poor economic situation throughout the interwar period and the city's growing population, a trolleybus line began operation, partially replacing the original tram network. During the Second World War the cars were mainly driven by women.

The trolleybus network consisting of 4 lines was decommissioned on 31 July 1971.

Rail

thumb|right|[[Olsztyn Główny railway station|Olsztyn main station]]

Olsztyn has train connections to various major cities in Poland, including Warsaw, Kraków, Gdańsk, Szczecin, Poznań, Bydgoszcz, Białystok, Wrocław, Łódź, Toruń, and various towns in the region, including Elbląg, Iława, Działdowo and Ełk. Olsztyn Główny is the main railway station in the city. Plans exist to demolish the building and replace it with new infrastructure, contrary to previous information about the current building being renovated.

Tram

thumb|right|[[Tram network in Olsztyn re-opened in December 2015]]

Historically, the city's first tram line was built in 1907 and gradually expanded over the years. It ceased operation in 1965. An long tram network was built between 2011 and 2015. The contract was signed in 2011 and construction commenced in 2012. It was a first new tram system built in Poland in 55 years; 15 low-floor Tramino trams were ordered from Solaris in September 2012.

There are five tram lines in operation.

In 2024, a long extension was completed the Turkish manufacturer Durmazlar had been selected to supply 24 trams for the network.

Air

thumb|[[Olsztyn-Mazury Airport]]

The region and city is served by Olsztyn-Mazury Airport with scheduled international passenger flights. It is located in Szymany, off Szczytno and south of the city of Olsztyn. The airport operates flights to London, Dortmund, Kraków and seasonal flights to Rzeszów and Wrocław.

Education

thumb|Main library building of the Olsztyn University

University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
Masurian Institute (est. 1943)

Sports

thumb|KOS Orlik - A public football field near the 18th Primary School

Indykpol AZS Olsztyn – men's volleyball team playing in the Polish Volleyball League (PLS, Polska Liga Siatkówki), five time Polish champions
Stomil Olsztyn – men's football team, playing in the lower divisions. It played in the Ekstraklasa, the country's top flight, from 1994 to 2002.
– men's handball team playing in the I liga (second tier). It played in the Superliga, the country's top flight, most recently from 2005 to 2012.
– one of the oldest football clubs in the city, playing in the lower leagues. It played on the second tier, most recently in the 1990s
AZS UWM Trójeczka Olsztyn – men's basketball team playing in the Polish Second League
WMPD Olsztyn – men's rugby team, playing in the First Polish League
Budowlani Olsztyn – a wrestling team
Joanna Jędrzejczyk (born 1987), Polish Muay-Thai and MMA fighter, former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion
Łukasz Gikiewicz (born 1987), Polish footballer
Rafał Gikiewicz (born 1987), Polish footballer
Filip Kurto (born 1991), Polish footballer
Olsztyn Lakers – American football team

The Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner, an international volleyball friendly tournament, was organized in Olsztyn from 2003 to 2008. The Tour de Pologne, one of UCI World Tour races, was organized in Olsztyn numerous times, most recently in 2008 (as of 2019).

Politics

Members of the Sejm elected from Olsztyn constituency in 2005:

Mieczysław Aszkiełowicz, Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland (Samoobrona Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej)
Beata Bublewicz, Civic Platform (PO, Platforma Obywatelska)
Jerzy Gosiewski, Law and Justice (PiS, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość)
Tadeusz Iwiński, Democratic Left Alliance (SLD, Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej)
Edward Ośko, League of Polish Families (LPR, Liga Polskich Rodzin)
Adam Puza, Law and Justice (PiS, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość)
Sławomir Rybicki, Civic Platform (PO, Platforma Obywatelska)
Lidia Staroń, Civic Platform (PO, Platforma Obywatelska)
Aleksander Marek Szczygło, Law and Justice (PiS, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość)
Zbigniew Włodkowski, Polish Peasant Party (PSL, Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe)

Members of Senate elected from Olsztyn constituency in 2005:

Ryszard Józef Górecki, Civic Platform (PO, Platforma Obywatelska)
Jerzy Szmit, Law and Justice (PiS, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość)

Notable people

thumb|upright=0.8|Bust of [[Nicolaus Copernicus near the castle]]

thumb|upright=0.8|Plaque commemorating [[Feliks Nowowiejski on his former home]]

Johannes von Leysen (1310–1388), town founder and mayor
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), astronomer, administrator, and town commander
Johannes Knolleisen (+1511), German academic and provider of academic stipends
Lucas David (1503–1583), German historian of Prussia
Marcin Kromer (1512–1589), Polish cartographer, diplomat and historian, personal secretary of Kings of Poland, Bishop of Warmia
Antoni Blank (1785–1844), Polish painter
Hugo Haase (1863–1919), Jewish-German politician, jurist and pacifist
Franz Justus Rarkowski (1873–1950), military bishop (1938–1945)
August Trunz (1875–1963), founder of the Prussica-Sammlung Trunz
Feliks Nowowiejski (1877–1946), Polish composer, conductor, concert organist
Maximilian Kaller (1880–1947) German prelate, bishop of Ermland in 1930–1945
Erich Mendelsohn (1887–1953), German-Jewish architect who fled the Nazis
Olga Desmond (1891–1964), German dancer and actress
Hermann Dohna-Finckenstein (1894–1942), German estate owner and politician
Günter Wand (1912–2002), German conductor
Kurt Baluses (1914–72) German football (soccer) player and manager
Herbert Schachtschneider (1919–2008), German operatic tenor
Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski (1922–2005), German politician
Curt Lowens (1925–2017), German actor
Leonhard Pohl (1929–2014), German gymnast
Józef Glemp (1929–2013), Polish prelate, bishop of Warmia 1979–1981
Jörg Kuebart (1934–2018) German general of the German Air Force
Karl-Heinz Hopp (1936–2007) German rower who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics
Wolf Lepenies (born 1941), German sociologist, political scientist and author
Eugeniusz Geno Malkowski (1942–2016), Polish artist, painter and academic
Ulrich Schrade (1943–2009), German-Polish philosopher and pedagogue
Marian Bublewicz (1950–1993), Polish rally and race driver of the 1980s and 1990s
Juliusz Machulski (born 1955), Polish film director
Izabela Trojanowska (born 1955), Polish actress and singer
Andrzej Friszke (born 1956), Polish historian
Krzysztof Hołowczyc (born 1962), Polish rally driver
Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek (born 1965), Polish musician, vocalist and lead guitarist of the death metal band Vader
Artur Wojdat (born 1968), swimmer
Elżbieta Jabłońska (born 1970), Polish multidisciplinary artist, born in Olsztyn
Mamed Khalidov (born 1980), Russian-Polish mixed martial artist
Wojciech Grzyb (born 1981), Polish volleyball player
Julia Marcell (born 1982), Polish singer/songwriter and pianist
Małgorzata Jasińska (born 1984), Polish professional cyclist (retd.)
Michał Trzeciakiewicz (born 1984), retired Polish footballer
Marcin Możdżonek (born 1985), volleyball player
Adrian Mierzejewski (born 1986), Polish footballer
Łukasz Gikiewicz (born 1987), Polish footballer
Rafał Gikiewicz (born 1987), Polish footballer
Joanna Jędrzejczyk (born 1987), Muay-Thai and MMA fighter, former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion
Paweł Dawidowicz (born 1995), Polish footballer
Artur Szalpuk (born 1995), Polish volleyball player, 2018 World Champion

International relations

Consulates

There are honorary consulates of Belarus, Germany and Lithuania in Olsztyn.

Twin towns – Sister cities

Olsztyn is twinned with:

{| class="wikitable"

|- valign="top"

Calpe, Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain
Châteauroux, Indre, Centre-Val de Loire, France
Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Halmstad, Halland County, Sweden
Lutsk, Ukraine
Offenburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Richmond, VA, United States

Rovaniemi, Finland
Bielsko-Biała, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
Weifang, China

Olsztyn belongs to the Federation of Copernicus Cities, an association of cities where Copernicus lived and worked, such as Bologna, Frombork, Kraków, and Toruń. The main office of the federation is situated at Olsztyn Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory, located on St. Andrew's Hill (143 m) in a former water tower erected in 1897.