Toruń

Toruńis a city on theVistulaRiver in north-centralPolandand aUNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021.Previously, it was the capital of theToruń Voivodeship(1975–1998) and thePomeranian Voivodeship(1921–1945). Since 1999, Toruń has been a seat of the local government of theKuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeshipand is one of its two capitals, together withBydgoszcz. The cities and neighboring counties form theBydgoszcz–Toruńtwin city metropolitan area.
Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland; it was first settled in the 8th century and in 1233 was expanded by theTeutonic Knights.For centuries it was home to people of diverse backgrounds and religions.  From 1264 until 1411, Toruń was part of theHanseatic Leagueand by the 17th century a leading trading point, which greatly affected the city's architecture, ranging fromBrick GothictoManneristandBaroque.
In the Early Modern period, Toruń was aroyal cityof Poland and one of Poland's four largest cities.With thepartitions of Polandin the late 18th century, it became part ofPrussia, then of the short-livedDuchy of Warsaw, serving as the temporary Polish capital in 1809,then again of Prussia, of theGerman Empireand, afterWorld War I, of the rebornPolish Republic. During theSecond World War, Toruń was spared bombing and destruction; its Old Town and iconic central marketplace have been entirely preserved.
Toruń is renowned for itsgingerbread– the gingerbread-baking tradition dates back nearly amillennium– as well as for its largeCathedral. It hosts theCamerimage International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography. Toruń is noted for its very highstandard of livingand quality of life.In 1997 the medieval part of the city was designated a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site. In 2007 the Old Town of Toruń was added to the list ofSeven Wonders of Poland.
The first settlement in the vicinity of Toruń is dated byarchaeologiststo 1100 BC (Lusatian culture).During early medieval times, in the 7th through 13th centuries, it was the location of an oldSlavonicsettlement,at a ford of the riverVistula. In the 10th century it became part of the emerging Polish state ruled by thePiast dynasty.
In spring 1231 theTeutonic Knightscrossed the river Vistula near the town ofNieszawaand established a fortress. On 28 December 1233, Teutonic KnightsHermann von SalzaandHermann Balksigned thecity chartersfor Toruń (Thorn) andChełmno(Kulm). The original document was lost in 1244. The set of rights in general is known asKulm law. In 1236, due to frequent flooding,it was relocated to the present site of the Old Town. In 1239Franciscanfriars settled in the city, followed in 1263 byDominicans. In 1264 the adjacent New Town was founded, predominantly to house Torun's growing population of craftsmen and artisans, who predominantly came from German-speaking lands.In 1280, the city (or as it was then, both cities) joined the mercantileHanseatic League, and thus became an importantmedievaltrade centre.
In the 14th century, papal verdicts ordered the restoration of the area to Poland; however, the Teutonic Knights did not comply and continued to occupy the region.The city was recaptured by Poland in 1410 during thePolish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War; however, after theFirst Peace of Thornwas signed in the city in February 1411, the city fell back to the Teutonic Order. In 1411, the city left theHanseatic League. In the 1420s, Polish KingWładysław II Jagiełłobuilt theDybów Castle, located in present-day left-bank Toruń, which he visited numerous times.During the next bigPolish–Teutonic War, Dybów Castle was occupied by the Teutonic Knights from 1431 to 1435.
In 1440, the gentry of Toruń co-founded thePrussian Confederationto further oppose the Knights' policies. From 1452, talks between Polish KingCasimir IV Jagiellonand the burghers of the Confederation were held at Dybów Castle.The Confederation rose against theMonastic state of the Teutonic Knightsin 1454 and its delegation submitted a petition to Polish KingCasimir IV Jagiellonasking him to regain power over the region as its rightful ruler. An act of incorporation was signed inKraków6 March 1454, recognizing the region (including Toruń), as partof thePolish Kingdom.
These events led to theThirteen Years' War. The citizens of the city, enraged by the Order's ruthless exploitation, conquered the Teutonic castle, and dismantled the fortifications brick by brick, except for the Gdanisko tower which was used until the 18th century to store gunpowder.The local mayor pledged allegiance to the Polish king during the incorporation in March 1454 in Kraków,and then in May 1454, an official ceremony was held in Toruń, in which the nobility, knights, landowners, mayors, and local officials fromChełmno Land, including Toruń, again solemnly swore allegiance to the Polish king and the Kingdom of Poland.Since 1454, the city has been authorized by King Casimir IV to mint Polish coins.During the war, Casimir IV often stayed at the Dybów Castleand Toruń financially supported the Polish Army. The New Town and Old Town amalgamated in 1454.
The Thirteen Years' War ended in 1466, with theSecond Peace of Thorn, in which theTeutonic Orderrenounced any claims to the city and recognised it as part of Poland.The Polish king granted the town great privileges, similar to those ofGdańsk. Also in 1454 atDybów Castle, the King issued the famousStatutes of Nieszawa, covering a set of privileges for thePolish nobility; an event that is regarded as the birth of the noble democracy in Poland, which lasted until the country'sdemisein 1795.
In 1473,Nicolaus Copernicuswas born, and in 1501 Polish kingJohn I Albertdied in Toruń; his heart was buried inSt. John's Cathedral. In 1500, theTuba Dei, the largestchurch bellin Poland at the time, was installed at Toruń Cathedral, and a bridge across the Vistula was built, the country's longest wooden bridge at the time. In 1506, Toruń became aroyal cityof Poland. In 1528, theroyal mintstarted operating in Toruń. In 1568, a gymnasium was founded, which after 1594 became one of the leading schools of northern Poland for centuries to come.Also in 1594, Toruń's first museum (Musaeum) was established at the school, beginning the city's museal traditions. A city of great wealth and influence, it enjoyed voting rights during theroyal electionperiod.Sejms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealthwere held in Toruń in 1576 and 1626.
In 1557, during theProtestant Reformation, the city adoptedProtestantism. Under MayorHenryk Stroband(1586–1609), the city became centralized. Administrative power passed into the hands of the city council. In 1595,Jesuitsarrived to promote theCounter-Reformation, taking control of St John's Church. Protestant city officials tried to limit the influx ofCatholicsinto the city, as Catholics (Jesuits andDominicanfriars) already controlled most of the churches, leaving only St Mary's for Protestant citizens. In 1645, at a time when religious conflicts occurred in many other European countries and the disastrousThirty Years' Warwas fought west of Poland, in Toruń, on the initiative of KingWładysław IV Vasa, a three-month congress of European Catholics,Lutherans, andCalvinistswas held, known asColloquium Charitativum;an important event in the history of interreligious dialogue.
During theGreat Northern War(1700–21), the city was besieged by Swedish troops. The restoration ofAugustus II the Strongas King of Poland was prepared in the city in theTreaty of Thorn (1709)by the Russian tsarPeter the Great. In the second half of the 17th century, tensions between Catholics and Protestants grew. In the early 18th century about 50 percent of the populace, especially the gentry and middle class, were German-speaking Protestants, while the other 50 percent were Polish-speakingRoman Catholics.Protestant influence was subsequently pushed back after theTumult of Thornof 1724.
After theSecond Partition of Polandin 1793, the city was annexed byPrussia. It was briefly regained by Poles as part of theDuchy of Warsawin 1807–1815, even serving as the temporary capital in April and May 1809.During these years the city began to attract a growingJewishcommunity.In 1809, Toruń was successfully defended by the Poles against the Austrians. After being re-annexed by Prussia in 1815, Toruń was subjected toGermanisationand became a strong center ofPolish resistanceagainst such policies. The city's first synagogue was inaugurated in 1847.New Polish institutions were established, such as Towarzystwo Naukowe w Toruniu (Toruń Scientific Society), a major Polish institution in thePrussian Partitionof Poland, founded in 1875. AfterWorld War I, Poland declared independence and regained control over the city. Ininterwar Poland, Toruń was the capital of thePomeranian Voivodeship.
DuringWorld War II, Germanyoccupiedthe city from 7 September 1939 to 1 February 1945.Einsatzkommando16entered the city to commit variouscrimes against Poles.Under German occupation, local people were subjected to arrests,expulsions,slave labor, deportations toconcentration campsand executions, especially the Polish elites as part of theIntelligenzaktion.
A group of Polish railwaymen and policemen from Toruń were murdered by the GermangendarmerieandWehrmachtinGąbinon 19–21 September 1939.Local Poles, including activists, teachers and priests, arrested in Toruń andToruń Countybeginning in September 1939, were initially held in the pre-war prison, and after it became overcrowded in October 1939, the Germans imprisoned Poles in Fort VII of theToruń Fortress.On 17–19 October 1939 alone, the German police and theSelbstschutzarrested 1,200 Poles in Toruń and Toruń County.In early November 1939, the Germans carried out further mass arrests of Polish teachers, farmers and priests in Toruń and the county, who were then imprisoned in Fort VII.Imprisoned Poles were then either deported toconcentration campsor murdered onsite.
Largemassacresof over 1,100 Poles from the city and region, including teachers, school principals, local officials, restaurateurs, shop owners, merchants, farmers, railwaymen, policemen, craftsmen, students, priests, workers, doctors, were carried out in the present-day district ofBarbarka.Six mass graves were discovered after the war, in five of which the bodies of the victims were burned, as the Germans had tried to cover up the crime.Local teachers were also among Polish teachers murdered in theSachsenhausen-Oranienburg,MauthausenandDachauconcentration camps.Nonetheless, thePolish resistance movementwas active in the city, and Toruń was the seat of one of the six main commands of theUnion of Armed Strugglein occupied Poland (alongsideWarsaw,Kraków,Poznań,BiałystokandLwów).
During the occupation, Germany established and operatedStalag XX-Aprisoner-of-war campin the city, with multiple forced labour subcamps in the region, in which Polish, British,French, Australian andSovietPOWs were held. From 1940 to 1943, in the northern part of the city the German transit campUmsiedlungslager Thorn[pl]for Poles expelled from Toruń and the surrounding area, became infamous for inhuman sanitary conditions.Over 12,000 Poles passed through the camp, and around 1,000 died there, including about 400 children.From 1941 to 1945, a Germanforced labourcamp was located in the city.In the spring of 1942, the Germans murdered 30 Polish scouts aged 13–16 in Fort VII.
While the city's population suffered many atrocities, as described, there were no battles or bombings that damaged its buildings. Thus, the city avoided damage during both World Wars, and retained its historic architecture, ranging fromGothicthroughRenaissanceandBaroqueto 19th and 20th century styles.
Listed on the UNESCO list ofWorld Heritage Sitessince 1997, Toruń has many monuments of architecture dating back to theMiddle Ages. The city is famous for having preserved almost intact its medieval spatial layout and many Gothic buildings, all built frombrick, including monumental churches, the Town Hall and many burgher houses.
Toruń has the largest number ofpreserved Gothic houses in Poland, many with Gothic wall paintings or wood-beam ceilings from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
Toruń, unlike many other historic cities in Poland, escaped substantial destruction in World War II. Particularly left intact was the Old Town, all of whose important architectural monuments are originals, not reconstructions.
Major renovation projects have been undertaken in recent years to improve the condition and external presentation of the Old Town. Besides the renovation of various buildings, projects such as the reconstruction of the pavement of the streets and squares (reversing them to their historical appearance), and the introduction of new plants, trees and objects of 'small architecture', are underway.
Numerous buildings and other constructions, including the city walls along the boulevard, are illuminated at night, creating an impressive effect - probably unique among Polish cities with respect to the size of Toruń's Old Town and the scale of the illumination project itself.
Toruń is also home to theZoo and Botanical Gardenopened in 1965 and 1797 respectively and is one of the city's popular tourist attractions.
Toruń is divided into 24 administrative districts (dzielnica) or boroughs, each with a degree of autonomy within its own municipal government. The Districts include:Barbarka, Bielany, Bielawy, Bydgoskie Przedmieście, Chełmińskie Przedmieście, Czerniewice, Glinki, Grębocin nad Strugą, Jakubskie Przedmieście, Kaszczorek, Katarzynka, Koniuchy, Mokre, Na Skarpie,Piaski,Podgórz, Rubinkowo, Rudak, Rybaki, Stare Miasto (Old Town), Starotoruńskie Przedmieście, Stawki, Winnica, Wrzosy.
The colors of Toruń are white and blue in the horizontal arrangement, white top, blue bottom, equal in size. The flag of the city of Toruń is a bipartite sheet. The upper field is white, the lower field is blue. If the flag is hung vertically, the upper edge of the flag must be on the left.
The flag with the coat of arms is also in use. The ratio of the height of the coat of arms to the width of the flag is 1:2.
The climate can be described ashumid continental(Köppen:Dfb) if the isotherm of 0 °C (32 °F) is used or anoceanic climate(Cfb) if the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm is adopted. Back in 1930s, the city passed close to the original boundary and dividing line of climates C and D groups in the north–south direction proposed by climatologistWladimir Köppen.Toruń is in the transition between the milder climates of the west and north of thePolandand the more extreme ones like the south (warmer summer) and the east (colder winter). It is not much different from the climates of more southerlyKrakówand easterlyWarsaw,though it has slightly milder winters and more moderate summers.
Being close to definitelycontinental climates, it has a high variability caused by the contact of eastern continental air masses and western oceanic ones. This is influenced by the geographical location of the city – the Toruń Basin to the south, and the Vistula Valley to the north.
The most recent statistics show a decrease in the population of the city, from 211,169 in 2001 (highest) to 202,562 in 2018. Among the demographic trends influencing this decline, are: suburbanisation, migration to larger urban centres, and wider trends observed in the whole of Poland such as general population decline, slowed down by immigration in 2017. The birth rate in the city in 2017 was 0.75. Low birthrates have been consistent in the city for the first two decades of 21st Century.
The official forecasts fromStatistics Polandstate that by 2050 the city population will have declined to 157,949.
Inside the city itself, most of the population is concentrated on the right (northern) bank of the Vistula river. Two of the most densely populated areas are Rubinkowo and Na Skarpie, housing projects built mostly in the 1970s and 1980s, located between the central and easternmost districts; their total population is about 70,000.
TheBydgoszcz–Toruńmetro area of Toruń andBydgoszcz, their counties, and a number of smaller towns, may in total have a population of as much as 800,000. Thus the area contains about one third of the population of the Kuyavia-Pomerania region (which has about 2.1 million inhabitants).
The transport network in the city has undergone major development in recent years. The partial completion of ring road (East and South), the completion of the second bridge (2013) and various road, and cycling lane improvements, including construction ofTrasa Średnicowa, have decidedly improved the traffic in the city. However, noise barriers that have been erected along the new or refurbished roads have been criticised as not conducive to a beautiful urban landscape. The extensive roadworks have also drawn attention to the declining population numbers, casting doubt that the city might over-delivered for the future number of road users, as the demographic trends forecast fromStatistics Polandpredicts a reduction of population by almost 1/4 by year 2050.
The city's public transport system comprisesfive tram linesand about 40 bus routes, covering the city and some of the neighboring communities.
Toruń is situated at a major road junction, one of the most important in Poland. TheA1highwayreaches Toruń, and a southernbeltwaysurrounds the city. Besides these, theEuropean route E75and a number of domestic roads (numbered 10, 15, and 80) run through the city.
With three main railway stations (Toruń Główny, Toruń Miasto and Toruń Wschodni), the city is a major rail junction, with two important lines crossing there (Warsaw–BydgoszczandWrocław–Olsztyn). Two other lines stem from Toruń, towardMalborkandSierpc.
The rail connection withBydgoszczis run under a name "BiT City" as a "metropolitan rail". Its main purpose is to allow traveling between and within these cities using one ticket. A joint venture of Toruń,Bydgoszcz,Solec Kujawskiand the voivodeship, it is considered as important in integratingBydgoszcz-Toruńmetropolitan area. A major modernization of BiT City railroute, as well as a purchase of completely new vehicles to serve the line, is planned for 2008 and 2009. Technically, it will allow to travel between Toruń-East and Bydgoszcz-Airport stations at a speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) in a time of approximately half an hour. In a few years' time "BiT City" will be integrated with local transportation systems of Toruń and Bydgoszcz, thus creating a uniform metropolitan transportation network – with all necessary funds having been secured in 2008.
Since September 2008, the "one-ticket" solution has been introduced also as regards a rail connection withWłocławek, as a "regional ticket". The same is planned for connection withGrudziądz.
Two bus depots serve to connect the city with other towns and cities in Poland.
As of 2008, asmall sport airfieldexists in Toruń; however, a modernization of the airport is seriously considered with a number of investors interested in it. Independently of this,Bydgoszcz Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport, located about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Toruń city centre, serves the wholeBydgoszcz-Toruńmetropolitan area, with a number of regular flights to European cities.
Although a medium-sized city, Toruń is the site of the headquarters of some of the largest companies in Poland, or at least of their subsidiaries. The official unemployment rate, as of September 2008, is 5.4%.
In 2006, construction of new plants owned bySharp Corporationand other companies of mainly Japanese origin has started in the neighboring community ofŁysomice- about 10 kilometres (6 miles) from city centre. The facilities under construction are located in a newly created special economic zone. As a result of cooperation of the companies mentioned above, a vast high-tech complex is to be constructed in the next few years, providing as many as 10,000 jobs (a prediction for) at the cost of about 450 million euros. As of 2008, the creation of another special economic zone is being considered, this time inside city limits.
Thanks to its architectural heritage Toruń is visited by more than 1.5 million tourists a year (1.6 million in 2007). This makes tourism an important branch of the local economy, although time spent in the city by individual tourists or the number of hotels, which can serve them, are still not considered satisfactory. Major investments in renovation of the city's monuments, building new hotels (including high-standard ones), improvement in promotion, as well as launching new cultural and scientific events and facilities, give very good prospects for Toruń's tourism.
In recent years Toruń has been a site of intense building construction investments, mainly residential and in its transportation network. The latter has been possible partly due to the use of European Union funds assigned for new member states. Toruń city county generates by far the highest number of new dwellings built each year among all Kuyavian-Pomeranian counties, both relative to its population as well as in absolute values. It has led to almost complete rebuilding of some districts. As of 2008, many major constructions are either under development or are to be launched soon - the value of some of them exceeding 100 million euros. They include a new speedway stadium, major shopping and entertainment centres, a commercial complex popularly called a "New Centre of Toruń", a music theater, a centre of contemporary art, hotels, office buildings, facilities for theNicolaus Copernicus University, roads and tram routes, sewage and fresh water delivery systems, residential projects, the possibility of a new bridge over the Vistula, and more. Construction of theA1 motorwayand the BiT Cityfast metropolitan railway also directly affects the city. About 25,000 local firms are registeredin Toruń.
The internationally renowned film festivalCamerimagewas founded in Toruń in 1993, and has been held annually in the city since 2019.In 2024, with Australian actressCate Blanchettas jury president,the32nd International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography CamerimagescreenedSteve McQueen'shistoricalwar dramaBlitz, the first half ofJon M. Chu'stwo-partmusicalfantasy filmWicked, and the world premiere ofJoel Souza'swestern filmRust.
Toruń has two drama theatres (Teatr im. Wilama Horzycywith three stages andTeatr Wiczy), two children's theatres (Baj PomorskiandZaczarowany Świat), two music theatres (Mała Rewia,Studencki Teatr Tańca), and numerous other theatre groups. The city hosts, among others events, the international theatre festival, "Kontakt", annually in May.
A building calledBaj Pomorskihas recently been completely reconstructed. It is now one of the most modern cultural facilities in the city, with its front elevation in the shape of a gigantic chest of drawers. It is located at the south-east edge of the Old Town. Toruń has two cinemas including aCinema City, which has over 2,000 seats.
Over ten major museums document the history of Toruń and the region. Among others, the "House of Kopernik" and the accompanying museum commemorateNicolaus Copernicusand his revolutionary work, the university museum reveals the history of the city's academic past.
TheTony HalikTravelers' Museum (Muzeum Podróżników im. Tony Halika) was established in 2003 afterElżbieta Dzikowskadonated to citizens of Toruń a collection of objects from various countries and cultures following the death of her husband, famous explorer and writer, Toruń native,Tony Halik. It is managed by theDistrict Museum in Toruń.
The Centre of Contemporary Art (Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej-CSW) opened in June 2008 and is one of the most important cultural facilities of this kind in Poland. The modern building is located in the very centre of the city, adjacent to the Old Town. The Toruń Symphonic Orchestra (formerly the Toruń Chamber Orchestra) is well-rooted in the Toruń cultural landscape.
Toruń is home to aplanetarium(located downtown) and anastronomical observatory(located in nearby village ofPiwnice). The latter boasts the largestradio telescopein Central Europe with a diameter of 32 m (104.99 ft), second only to theEffelsberg100 m (328.08 ft) radio telescope.
Toruń is well known forgingerbread, a type ofpiernikoften made in elaborate molds.Museum of Toruń Gingerbreadis a large museum dedicated to it.There are also several gingerbread workshops in the town that offer hands-on experiences for tourists, including the popularLiving Museum of Gingerbread. The 15-year-old composerFryderyk Chopinwas smitten with Toruń gingerbread when he visited his godfather,Fryderyk Skarbek, there in the summer of 1825.
Toruń is a center of conservative Roman Catholic culture.RedemptoristTadeusz Rydzykhas organized hereRadio Maryja,Telewizja Trwam, a college whose students contribute to the mentioned media.Nowa museum is being constructed.
The12999 Toruńasteroidis named after the city.
Over 30 elementary and primary schools and over ten high schools make up the educational base of Toruń. Besides these, students can also attend a handful of private schools.
The largest institution of higher education in Toruń,Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, serves over 20,000  students and was founded in 1945, based on theToruń Scientific Society,Stefan Batory University in Wilno, andJan Kazimierz University in Lwów. The existence of a high-ranked and high-profiled university with so many students plays a great role the city's position and importance in general, as well as in creating an image of Toruń's streets and clubs filled with crowds of young people. It also has a serious influence on local economy.
Other public institutions of higher education:
There are also a number of private higher education facilities:
Also located in Toruń is one of the oldesthigh schoolsin Poland,I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Mikołaja Kopernika, which dates back to agymnasiumfounded in 1568.
Six hospitals of various specializations provide medical service for Toruń itself, its surrounding area, and to the region in general. The two largest of these hospitals, recently run by the voivodeship, were to be taken over by Nicolaus Copernicus University and run as its clinical units. At least one of them was to change its status in 2008,. In addition, there are a number of other healthcare facilities in the city.
Other clubs:
Notable residents of Toruń include:
Honouring Toruń's sister relationship withPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, the Bulwar Filadelfijski (Philadelphia Boulevard), a 2 km (1.2 mi) long street running mostly between Vistula River and walls of the Old Town and the boulevard itself, bears its name.
The Ślimak Getyński is one of the lanes connecting Piłsudski Bridge / John Paul II Avenue with Philadelphia Boulevard at their downtown interchange. It honours the relationship with Göttingen, its name derived from the street's half-circular shape (Polish wordślimakmeaning "snail").
Toruń istwinnedwith:
Former twin towns: