Czaplinek

Czaplinek lies between Lakes Drawsko and Czaplino, among the lakes of northern Greater Poland. Its former German name, Tempelburg, recalls the Knights Templar, whom Duke Przemysł II brought to the area in 1286. The settlement gained town rights in 1291, passed to Brandenburg around 1300, and was purchased for Poland by Casimir the Great in 1368. It remained a Polish royal town until 1668, when it passed to Brandenburg. The surrounding lakes and narrow strips of land helped protect the settlements of this border country.