A Celestial Town in the Vistula Valley (Torun (Poland))

Member Name: Praskipark

Product:	Torun (Poland)
Date:	06/12/08 (191 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The Finest Surviving Gothic Town in Poland

Disadvantages: None I can think of

Torun is one of the most important historic cities in Poland and I knew nothing about the town until earlier this year when I was travelling to Bydgoszcz and decided to stop off for a couple of nights to have a nosey around this ancient town and port. You will find Torun, the finest surviving Gothic town in Poland, in the Lower Vistula Valley which is situated in the east of the country.

As well as being a wealthy Hanseatic port it is the birthplace of Copernicus and it retains much of its old splendour in its magnificent ancient buildings and tiny obscure cellars, its streets and museums. It is not to be missed.

History
~~~~~

A Slav settlement is known to have existed on this site as early as the 11th century, but Torun really came to life in 1233 when the Teutonic Knights set about transforming it into one of their early outposts, under the name of Thorn. The knights surrounded the town with a ring of walls and built a castle, and its position on the Vistula accelerated its development. So fast was its growth that the newly arriving merchants and craftspeople had to settle outside the city walls and soon built what became known as the New Town. It had its own square, town hall and church and it was also fortified. In the 1280's Torun joined the Hanseatic League which gave a further impetus to its development.

As the conflict between Poland and the Teutonic Order grew more intense, the town's internal affairs became explosive. In 1454, in a wave of protest against the economic restrictions imposed by the order, the inhabitants took up arms and destroyed the local castle. By then full-blown war had broken out between the Order and Poland (the Thirteen Years' War) which eventually concluded with the Treaty of Torun in 1466. The treaty returned to Poland a large area of land stretching from Torun to Gdansk, and also presaged the military downfall of the Teutonic Order.

The period of prosperity which followed came to an end with the Swedish wars and since then the town's fortunes have been erratic. Following the Second Partition of Poland of 1793 the city fell under Prussian domination, and it didn't return to Poland until the Treaty of Versailles in the aftermath of WWI.

After WW II, which fortunately did relatively little damage to the city, Torun expanded significantly, with vast new suburbs and industries. The medieval quarter was almost unaffected by the postwar expansion, however, and more or less retains its old appearance. Over the decades much restoration has been carried out.

The city is very proud of its famous astonomer, Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543), the man who 'stopped the sun and moved the earth,' his name being found all over the town.

Things to See
~~~~~~~~~

The historic sector of Torun is made up of the Old Town (Stare Miasto - to the west, and the New Town (Nowe Miasto) to the east. Both towns, originally seperated by wallls and a moat, developed around their own market squares, but gradually merged after the walls were taken down in the 15th century.

The planning and building process took a couple of centuries, but by the end of the 15th century Torun was already a well-composed and elegant medieval town, one of the largest in Poland. Although there were later stylistic changes, the Gothic core is still very much in evidence, making Torun the best preserved Gothic town in the country.


In my wiew, the highlights are the Town Hall and three superb churches, but there's much more to see here. Strolling about the streets and dicovering Torun's past glory is a pleasure in itself. The southern sector along the Vistula, where old granaries loom from among houses, is interesting and very attractive to the eye. The city also has several museums. Most of which have been installed in fine old buildings and are worth a visit both for their exhibitions and their original interiors. To get the best view of the historic district go onto the footbridge.

Old Town Square (Rynek Staromiejski)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think I must say this in a ll my reviews but the obvious starting point for any visitor is the Old Town. The spacious brick building in the middle is, of course, the Old Town Hall (Ratusz Staromiejski). Erected at the end of the 14th century, it hasn't changed much, save for some Renaissance additions giving a decorative touch to the sober Gothic structure. Apart from serving as the municipal seat, the Town Hall provided market facilities but lost them in the course of re-modelling in the 19th century. After WW II, it also lost its administrative functions, and today most of the building is occupied by the Regional Museum. The interiors are original and when I visited there were several exhibitions including a collection of Gothic art which included some excellent examples of stained glass. There was also a display of work by local craftspeople, a gallery of portraits and some 19th century Polish paintings which I found a bit dark and depressing.

The opening hours of the museum and those of all other city museums are different each day of the week. You can assume that they are open at least from 10am to 3pm except Monday when they all close. The board placed at the entrance to the Town Hall displays the currrent opening hours of most of the town's museums. Just a few steps from here stands the Statue of Copernicus, one of the oldest monuments dedicated to the astronomer.

There are several fine houses lining the Rynek, the best being the richly decorated mansion at No 35, known as the House under the Star. Originally it was of Gothic structure but extensive alterations have changed the appearance to Baroque but it is still very atractive to look at. The Museum of Far Eastern Art is housed inside and the collection is very modest and a little dull; nevertheless the interior itself is a fine example of the period, preserved intact. There is an eye catching spiral wooden staircase of 1697, going right up to the top floor; another one of wrought iron was added later.

The huge brick building just to the north west of the square is St Mary's Church, erected by the Franciscans at the end of the 13th century. Austere and plain from the outside, its lofty, whitewashed interior with tall, stained glass windows is pleasantly bright, particularly on the afternoon I visited as the sun was shining brightly. The remains of frescoes from the early days of the church can be seen in the right hand nave. Note also the impressive early 15th century Gothic stalls in the presbytery. The organ, placed unusually on a side wall, was added two centuries later.

If you walk north along ul Ducha Swietego and turn right into ul Kopernika you will see in front of you a Gothic house where Copernicus was born in 1473. This building and its neighbour are today the Museum of Copernicus and display, as might be expected, all sorts of stuff related to the great man, from his astronomical instruments, which are copies, to matchbox labels with his picture. The museum runs a short audio visual presentation about the period when Copernicus lived in Torun. Though not particularly imaginative, it does give an easy introduction to the city in the 15th and 16th centuries, with a model of the town at the time. There are versions in several languages, English included.

A block east of the museum stands the largest and most impressive of the city's religious buildings, St John's Church. Work started around 1260 and was only completed at the end of the 15th century, by which time the church dominated the skyline of the town, as it has done ever since. Its massive tower houses the second largest bell in Poland (after the Wawel cathedral in Krakow), the Tuba Dei, cast in 1500, which is rung before mass. On the southern side of the tower facing the Vistula is a large 15th century clock; its original face and hand (one only, as was the rule at the time) are still in place and in working order.

Walking into the church with its once white walls and vaulting is like travelling back centuries in time. If you're lucky enough to come here in the absence of the usual hordes of schoolkids, the majestic peace of the enormous space will only be disturbed by the murmuring of a handful of elderly women praying aloud.

The combination of the classic Gothic vaulting high above the maze of Baroque altars and chapels at ground level is unusually harmonious. The walls and vaults were whitewashed by the Protestants, who used the church during the Reformation era and considered the brightly coloured medieval paintings unsuitable. Small fragments have recently been uncovered and can be seen in the presbytery and under the organ loft. The most striking mural is the one high at the back of the right hand aisle. The work is of an unknown artist in 1478, it's a startling monochrome, very rare at the time, and the identity of the face depicted is a mystery even to those specialists in such matters, the priests.

The high altar adorned with a Gothic triptych and topped with a crucifix has as a background a superb stained-glass window in the best medieval style. The last chapel in the right-hand aisle holds the oldest object in the church, the font where Copernicus was baptised. To one side is his epitaph, carved in the 1580's.

At the back of the church stands a Gothic mansion converted into a granary in the 19th century and recently adapted as a museum. It is the Palace of the Esken Family and houses a small collection of old weapons on permanent display which is rather dull unless you are particularly interested in old weapons. Most of the other rooms are given to temporary exhibitions and on my visit I was out of luck as there weren't any on display, so a bit of a disappointment all round. There are several more granaries on this street (ul Ciasna) and have been incorporated into the museum. Take time to have a look at the charming trinity of crumbling houses just round the corner on ul Mostowa. To the south, the last surviving city gate, Bridge gate, marks the end of the medieval town.

New Town Square (Rynek Nowomiejski).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This isn't as spectacular as its older counterpart nor does it have a Town Hall. The building in the middle is the former Protestant church erected in the 19th century after the Town Hall was pulled down. Among the houses which line the Rynek only a couple deserve more than a quick glance. The two best ones stand at opposite ends of the south western side of the square.

St James Church just of the eastern corner of the square, dates from the same period as its Old Town brothers. It is also huge, though it's shaped like a basilica and is more attractive from the outside, thanks to a variety of architectural details including a series of pinnacles adorning the rim of the roof. Its interior is filled with mostly Baroque art, but Gothic wall paintings have been uncovered in various places, mainly under the organ loft. The high altar and the rood-screen arch both date from the 1730's.

The last important sight is the Ethnographic Museum in a park to the north of the Old Town. You can get there directly from the New Town Square by taking ul Prosta, but a more pleasant route is through the lively city mall to the Old Town Square and then north along ul Chelminska. The museum, as elsewhere, presents folk artefacts from the region, but its strong point is the fishing display, with all sorts of implements, boats and nets.

There's also a miniature skansen in the grounds behind the museum, with old cottages representing the traditional rural architecture of the region. The museum is open daily 10am to 3pm. The skansen can be visited free of charge until dusk, but if you want to see the interiors, you should visit during the museum's opening hours, any day except Monday.

Cafes/Restaurants
~~~~~~~~~~~~

It depends entirely on what type of food and what price you wish to pay. I am a bit of a scrooge when eating out and I am always looking for somewhere cheap. I managd to find a police canteen which is a few steps away from the bus station. Not the most celubrious part of town but the canteen served tasty lunches (between 2pm and 4pm only) and the price was half of what you'd pay in any of the cheaper restaurants.

If you don't fancy eating your pierogi in the company of Polish police officers then there is the Staromiejska which is a pleasant old house which specialises in Italian cuisine or if you like Hungarian food then you can try the Hungaria which cooks simple Hungarian fare and is cheap.

There is a substantial network of cafes and snackbars throughout the centre, particularly along ul Rozana and numerous cafes in the old quarter.

Hotels/Hostels/ Places to Stay
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Torun has a wide array of places to stay, and despite its tourist status finding a room shouldn't present any major problems.Should you be unlucky, the Biuro Zakwaterowan at Rynek Staromiejski will find rooms in private houses but most are a long way from the centre.

Unfortunately the all year round hostel is inconveniently located 1. 5 kilometres east of the train station and twice that distance outside the centre. Bus No 13 links the hostel with the station and the Old Town.

For the ultimate in convenience, the Trzy Korony is ideally sited at Rynek Staromiejski 21, and is the place to head for if you don't need luxury. The hotel has a long history and hosted such eminences as Jan Matejko and Peter the Great. Neither of them would opt for this run down place today, nor would they dance till dawn in the disco in the hotel's restaurant, which attracts night birds thanks to the drinks served all night long. Nonetheless the location and cheap price makes the hotel an attractive place to crash for the night. The rooms are acceptable; ask for one facing the square.

If you are travelling to Torun by public transport then the railway station is south of the Old Town on the opposite side of the Vistula river. It's a 20 minute walk to the centre or take bus no 22 from the station and get off at Plac Rapackiego.

Trains coming from Warsaw, Poznan, Lodz, Gdansk, Bydgoszcz will arrive at this station.

The bus station is close to the northern edge of the Old Town ( a five minute walk). Buses to Bydgoszcz run roughly every hour and from there buses will take you to Warsaw and other major cities within Poland.

Summary
~~~~~~

Well I have to say I was very pleased I took the wrong turning as this is a lovely town, with an abundance of Gothic architecture which I always find captivating. The people I met in the cafes and bars seemed a lot friendlier and much more well mannered than people in Warsaw. They were very laid back and seemed to have time for strangers which I found very endearing. If ever you are in the Lower Vistula Valley then take time to stop off in Torun. Don't miss it!

Summary: A Splendid Town with Magnificent Buildings, Streets and Museums