Polski
Are you interested in the Middle Ages? Be sure to drop by in Toruń. This beautiful city in northern Poland is known for its unusual medieval architecture, Nicolaus Copernicus, who was born here, and delicious gingerbread.
Toruń is one of my favorite cities in Poland. It is located north and west of Warsaw. You can get there quickly by car or train. It’s definitely worth it. Here are three strong reasons why you should definitely come and visit Toruń.
To start, watch this short video about Toruń – the one of Polish cities from the UNESCO list.
Amazing medieval architecture
The Toruń castle was established in the 9th century. However, it gained importance only after the Teutonic State took over these lands. It was the Teutonic Knights who built the first fortified castle here, which was demolished after the rebellion of the inhabitants against the Order.
Toruń has always been one of the most important Polish cities. Here, science and modern thinking developed. The city has preserved its amazing gothic architecture. Today, the slogan of the city says “gotyk na dotyk, that is “gothic is on touch” here.
If you are only interested in medieval cities, you should definitely visit Toruń. Here’s a useful map of the historic center.
Mikołaj Kopernik
The most famous Polish astronomer Mikołaj Kopernik, known in the world as Copernicus, was born here – in Toruń. Nicolaus Copernicus became famous for his brave views for his time that the Earth revolves around the sun, and not the opposite. To this day in Poland we say that Copernicus stopped the Sun and moved the Earth.
Copernicus was born in 1473 in the tenement house “Pod Lwem” at 36 Old Town Square. This place is today known as the Copernicus House and is open to visitors.
Gingerbread from Toruń
The medieval chronicler Jan Długosz wrote about what is best in Poland: “Ladies from Cracow, shoes from Gdańsk gingerbread from Toruń“. The tradition of baking these sweet pastries in Toruń is over 700 years old. Toruń gingerbread was known all over Europe. Real one is done with honey, eggs, dark flour and dark sugar with the addition of exotic spices such as cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and lavender.
The Living Museum of Gingerbread in Toruń invites all tourists to learn about the history of this delicacy and to bake gingerbread on their own. It’s really fun!
