The history of the region is very interesting, though not as widely known as its lakes and landscape. As a borderland influenced for over 600 hundred years by German, Polish and Lithuanian culture and by Protestantism and Catholicism and a home to a diversity of ethnic groups which have left their stamp on its image, District Giżycko has a rich heritage, reflected by monuments of material and spiritual culture.

Remains of Prussian burial grounds and fortified settlements testify to the ancient Pagan past. They include i.a. the "Watchtower Hill" in Orło, the "Holy Hill" in Staświny and the "Castle Hill" in Jeziorko. An iron cross, erected in 1910 on a hill near Giżycko, marks the legendary place of death of the martyr Saint Bruno of Querfurt, while the Medieval castles in Ryn and Giżycko are the most conspicuous signs of Teutonic rule. The castle in Ryn is particularly noteworthy for its architecture. The castle hosts an event called "Night Festivities" which evokes the atmosphere of the middle ages.

Small village churches built between the 15th and 17th centuries are another characteristic trait of Mazurian architecture. The church in Miłki is the oldest one. It was built towards the end of the 15th century and modified after a fire in 1669. Its altar and organ gallery date back to the end of the 17th century. Other equally valuable churches include the church in Rydzewo (built around 1580), made of breakstone and brick and having gothic as well as baroque traits; the church in Doba and the neo-classical Protestant church in Giżycko, built 1827, probably according to a design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. For over 20 years now, the church has been hosting an annual summer event called "Organ and Chamber Music Concerts".

Traditional rural architecture and century-old tenement houses in Giżycko are also noteworthy. The characteristic historical layout of traditional small Mazurian towns with one-floor houses has been preserved in Ryn (Kościuszki and Kopernika St.) and in Wydminy (Grunwaldzka St.) The District's architectural and historical attractions include small manor houses in Zielony Gaj, Jagodne Małe, Upałty Małe, Żywy and Brożówka.

Being a borderland area, the District has many historical military facilities. The Boyen Fortress in Giżycko is an attraction gaining nationwide recognition. The strongholds of the Great Lakes Field Position were built in 1914 and developed towards the end of the 1930's into the Giżycko Reinforced Zone.

Notable historical examples of civil engineering include the wooden swing bridge in Giżycko, one of two such bridges still in operation in Europe; the sluice in Przerwanki - fragment of the unfinished Mazurian Canal, a unique monument of hydro-engineering in Mazury's Landscape; water mills in Ryn, Paprotki and Konopki; windmills in Ryn and Sterławki Małe.