Szczytno Szczytno ( ) is a town in north - eastern Poland with 27 , 970 inhabitants ( 2004 ) . Szczytno is situated in the Warmian - Masurian Voivodship ( since 1999 ) , but was previously in Olsztyn Voivodship ( 1975 - 1998 ) . Szczytno - Szymany International Airport , located nearby , is the most important airport of the Masuria n region . Szczytno , which is located on the Olsztyn – Ełk line , used to be a railroad junction until Polish Railways closed minor connections stemming from the town towards Czerwonka and Wielbark . History . The vicinity of Szczytno , contains the only known megalith ic tombs in Warmia - Masuria and former East Prussia . The town was originally an Old Prussian settlement . Between 1350 and 1360 Ortolf von Trier , a knight of the Teutonic Order and the Komtur of Elbląg ( 1349 – 1371 ) , founded a fort in Galindia , probably near an Old Prussian settlement . The first mentioning of the fort was a document from 24 September 1360 , after Ortolf invited Masovian colonists , among whom the settlement became known as " Szczytno " . The first custodian of the settlement was Heinrich Murer . In 1370 the wooden fort was destroyed by Lithuanians led by Kęstutis , after which it was rebuilt using stone . The name Ortulfsburg gradually changed into " Ortelsburg " . The settlement grew in size owing to its location on a trade route from Warsaw to Königsberg ( now Kaliningrad ) . The castle was occupied by Polish troops during the Thirteen Years ' War . With its inclusion in the Duchy of Prussia in 1525 , it lost its importance as a border fortress and began to decline . Margrave and regent George Frederick ( 1577 – 1603 ) , who enjoyed hunting nearby , began the redevelopment of the area . Among his projects was the rebuilding of the castle into a hunting lodge . King Władysław IV Vasa of Poland visited the town from 1628 – 29 and in 1639 . Ortelsburg suffered from 17th century fires and the plague in 1656 . The town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701 . King Frederick William I of Prussia granted Ortelsburg its town charter in 1723 . King Frederick William III and Queen Louise arrived in the town on 23 November 1806 while fleeing French troops during the Fourth Coalition . The town was briefly the seat of the Prussian government , and Frederick William released his " Ortelsburger Publicandum " there on 1 December . The French troops plundered Ortelsburg on 23 December . The town was forced to host numerous troops of the Grande Armée in 1812 . Ortelsburg became the seat of Landkreis Ortelsburg , one of the largest in East Prussia , in 1818 after Prussian administrative reforms , with Ritter von Berg chosen as the first district administrator . The town became part of the German Empire in 1871 during the unification of Germany . Ortelsburg was almost completely destroyed on 30 August 1914 at the beginning of World War I by troops of the Russian Empire , with 160 houses and 321 commercial buildings burning down . The town ' s recovery was supported by Berlin and Vienna . To determine if the town would remain in Weimar Germany or join the Second Polish Republic , the East Prussian plebiscite was held in the town on 11 July 1920 , at the height of the Polish - Soviet War and the prospect of a Soviet takeover of Poland . Poles were persecuted and activists were attacked and dispersed by Germans before the referendum . In the plebiscite 5 , 336 votes were given to remain in Germany with 15 votes for Poland . Poles organized " Samopomoc Mazurska " ( " Masurian Self - Help " ) , an organisation for the protection of Poles under German rule and year later " Zjednoczenie Mazurskie " . The Polish newspaper " Mazurski Przyjaciel Ludu " was printed . The Polish activist Jerzy Lanc was killed during his attempt to establish a Polish school . The town was the location of the Polish House . In this building during the interwar era , meetings of Polish journalists and activists were organised . The Polish House is connected to such names as Gustaw Leyding , Kazimierz Jaroszyk ( chief editor of " Mazur " ) , Bogumił Linka , brothers Karol and Hugo Bahrke , Michał Kajka , Jan Jagiełko , and Bogumił Labusz . The Polish House was the headquarters of such organisations as " Zjednoczenie Mazurskie " , " Samopomoc Mazurska " and the Union of Poles in Germany . Today the building is dedicated to the memory of the people and institutions that were engaged in Polish movement in Masuria . In March 1933 the Nazi Party polled 76 . 6 % of votes . Most of the town ' s population fled before the Red Army at the end of World War II . The city was placed under Polish administration in 1945 according to the Potsdam Agreement and received the name " Szczytno " , under which it was known to the local non - German population . The nearby Szczytno - Szymany International Airport , as well as Stare Kiejkuty , a military intelligence training base , came under scrutiny in late 2005 as possible " black sites " ( secret prisons or transfer stations ) used in the CIA ' s program of so - called extraordinary rendition of suspected terrorists . The existence of the nearby training base and the record of CIA - registered affiliated aircraft having landing at Szczyton - Szymany have been unequivocally confirmed , but the Polish government has repeatedly denied any involvement of these facilities in extraordinary renditions .