Location

Barlinek is situated 30 km north of Gorzów Wielkopolski on the north bank of the Barlinek lake.

History

In the 13th Century former Berlin fishermen have settled here and have brought the name, the legend says. In 1278 the city of "Neu Berlyn" was officially established. There were cloth-making, a thriving timber industry and mills. Several city fires and the ravages of wars hindered the development of the city, but it developed very well later. In the beginning of the 19th century there were about 200 master craftsmen from the clothier and brewing guild. Interestingly, there was established a silkworm breeding. Tourism began to develop in the mid-19th century and Berlinchen became a summer resort for citizens of the "great" Berlin. Barlinek is one of the most beautiful cities in the Neumark, because of its location by the lake and being surrounded by forests. The city has a relatively developed tourist infrastructure, several hotels, guest houses and several private houses, some restaurants and other services are available (boat rentals, swimming pool, etc.). Thus builds on its tradition of tourism before the World War II, when Barlinek was called the "Pearl of the Neumark". Now Barlinek has a name as a chess city (the famous German chess champion Emanuel Lasker (1868-1941) lived here) and got in the recent years a reputation of being "European capital of Nordic Walking".