Iława (Polish: [iˈwava] ⓘ; German: Deutsch Eylau [dɔʏtʃ ˈʔaɪlaʊ] ⓘ) is a town in northern Poland with 32,276 inhabitants (2010).

From Iława, the Baltic Sea can be accessed through Jeziorak Lake and the historic, unique in the world Elbląg Canal.

At Lake Silm, one of the world's several training centres for skippers and port pilots, they learn to manoeuvre seagoing ships on miniaturised models.

Iława lies on the Road of St. James (one of the most important Christian pilgrimage routes in the world) which leads to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella in Spain.

Iława and its surroundings lie on undulating moraine and sandstone areas, distinguished by varied forms of sculpture.

At the start of the Thirteen Years’ War (1454–1466) in February 1454, Iława sided with the Prussian Confederation, at the request of which King Casimir IV Jagiellon signed the act of incorporation of the region to Poland.

After Poland's loss at the Battle of Chojnice, in November 1454 it was taken over by the Teutonic Knights,[5] who handed over its defence to Czech mercenaries.

In October–December 1831, several Polish infantry units of the November Uprising stopped in the town on the way to their internment places.

[8] In 1862 the Elbląg Canal was built between Elbing (Elbląg) and Eylau by engineer Georg Steenke, which enabled the inland town to transport bulk of lumber, farm products, and other goods north to Elbing and the Baltic Sea.

This was superseded ten years later by rail transport, when the Thorn (Toruń)-Insterburg (Chernyakhovsk) railway line was constructed.

[15] After World War II, the town became again part of Poland in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement.

The name Iława is thought to originate from the ancient Prussian word ilis, meaning black.

The name might refer to the swampy area where the city lies, or to the dark water of the lake Jeziorak.

It was composed in 1995 by Henryk Majewski - a well-known jazz musician, one of the organizers of the Złota Tarka festival held annually in Iława.

It depicts the coat of arms of Iława and ten alternately arranged wavy stripes in white and blue, which symbolize waves of Jeziorak lake.

[23] In 1974, the film Gniazdo directed by Jan Rybkowski was recorded on Wielka Żuława Island, telling the story of the first years of the Polish state.

Volker Schlöndorff (author of, "Blaszany bębenek";) shot scenes for his film King Olch[36] with John Malkovich in the ruins of Szymbark Castle (8 km from Iława).

On November 18, 1992 at the Municipal Stadium in Iława a friendly football match between Poland and Latvia took place.

In the city there is a sports club Jeziorak Iława, consisting of several sections, among others football, handball, table tennis and taekwondo.

Moreover, there are local clubs, institutions andassociations in Iława which bring together people who practice, amongothers martial arts, rowing, volleyball, tennis, athletics, swimming, shooting and cycling.