Residents/Population:	34 351
Area:	206 km2
Expenditure per capita:	6 711,29 zł
Website:	www.kartuzy.pl
Rulers/Leaders:
Mieczysław Grzegorz GołuńskiMayor of the Town and Municipality	Arkadiusz SochaChair of the City Council

Kartuzy lies in the picturesque region known as Kashubian Switzerland. Numerous monuments of sacred and folk art make the tourist infrastructure more attractive and encourage visitors to spend their free time in the area. The town of Kartuzy - the capital of Kartuzy County - is considered by many to be the capital of Kashubia.

Kartuzy was founded by French monks, famous for their strict rules of life, who arrived in these lands from Prague. The monastery village they established 600 years ago became a center of social, political, economic, and cultural life over time. In the 15th century, these monks, known as the Carthusians, owned extensive estates, including the village of Gdynia and properties in Gdańsk. For this reason, the monks' seat became a resting place for many distinguished guests, including the Kings of Poland: King Sigismund III with Prince Władysław, as well as John II Casimir, gaining the name "Carthusian Manor" (Dwór Kartuski).

Currently, Kartuzy is a dynamically developing, medium-sized town and a vast surrounding municipality. Kartuzy lies in the very center of the Kashubian Lake District. The diverse landscape, numerous architectural monuments, a dense network of access and tourist roads, and clean air make this region recognized as one of the most attractive tourist areas in Poland.

The undeniable advantages of the Kartuzy region also include the lack of heavy industry and an unpolluted environment, great investment opportunities, and the active entrepreneurship of its residents. An additional asset of Kartuzy is its close proximity to the Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport in Rębiechowo. Provincial roads No. 211, 224, and 228 intersect in Kartuzy. The red Kashubian tourist trail also passes through here.

The most valuable monument of this town is the Carthusian monastery complex, built in the Gothic style, featuring an unusual roof shaped like a coffin lid. Other places worth visiting are usually associated with the regional, Kashubian character of this town, which can be felt at every step. It is impossible to list all the initiatives supporting the uniqueness of local traditions and customs. Highly recommended are events such as the Kashubian Fair (Jarmark Kaszubski), Kashubian Culture Week, and the renowned Strawberry Harvest Festival (Truskawkobranie), which turns Kartuzy into the capital of the Kashubian strawberry. To fully understand the identity of the town and its inhabitants, one must visit the Franciszek Treder Kashubian Museum in Kartuzy.

Kartuzy is surrounded by four lakes: Lake Klasztorne, Lake Karczemne, Lake Ciche, and Lake Mielonko. Charming areas, the close presence of water bodies, as well as a convenient location, are factors that make more and more residents settle in Kartuzy, and many of them consider their town the true capital of Kashubia.