This paper deals with the problem referred to the Early Iron Age lake settlement of the West Baltic Barrow culture and the cultural factors that affected the stilt houses among the local settlement patterns. This concept is based on the results achieved thus far for the lake settlements with a special emphasis on the sites in Mołtajny near Kętrzyn and Pieczarki near Giżycko (investigated during 1986-1992). The sites have provided the data concerning both the cultural and natural environment impact on the stilt housing Here it appears that the residents of such objects did not significantly differ from the communities that had inhabited neither fortified nor open settlements as it is reinforced by the same approach to farming and breeding strategies and similar manufacturing activities such as the bronze metalworking. Therefore the problem concerning the motives that led some groups of the West Baltic Barrow culture community to stilt housing remains still unresolved