Gingerbreads
Gingerbreads are the most characteristic symbol of Toruń. For centuries, they have been known and appreciated all over the world. The first mentions of their baking come from the 13th century. Urgently guarded recipes, the use of only the best quality ingredients for production, and above all, people who for hundreds of years, with unchanging passion and commitment, care for the uniqueness of their products, are the traits that make Toruń Gingerbreads so unique.
The Leaning Tower
The Leaning Tower is a medieval defense tower that owes its name to a significant deviation from the vertical. According to a legend, its uprising is related to the behavior of one of the Toruń Teutonic Knights who, in spite of the rules, fell in love with a beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant. Punishment for breaking the obligation of chastity was to build a sloping tower as a symbol of departure from the strict religious rule. It is said that one can stand still, while pushing their back opposite the wall, only if their conscience is clear.
The figure of the donkey
The figure of the donkey refers to the penalties practiced throughout the history of the city for minor and heavier offenses on the soldiers of the armed forces of Toruń. In the 17th and 18th century a wooden donkey with a sharpened ridge covered with metal was used. Soldiers were laid on its back and were additionally tied to leaden weights, which was to increase the pain. The penance was double: the convict was exposed to a mockery of people, and the sharp ridge was stuck in his seat.
House of Nicolaus Copernicus
The house of Nicolaus Copernicus is a medieval tenement house, which in the second half of the 15th century belonged to the Copernicus family. Many historians point it out as a place where in 1473 a great astronomer - Nicolaus Copernicus – was brought to the world. He was the first to prove that the Earth is not a stationary center of the universe but only one of the planets which go around the Sun.
The ruins of the Teutonic castle
The ruins of the Teutonic castle in Toruń are remnants of the Teutonic stronghold. The area of the castle (approx. 1.9 ha) is one of the three parts of the Toruń Medieval Urban Complex, written down on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Toruń Castle was demolished by the inhabitants during the anti-Teutonic Insurrection that broke out in 1454. Although the building survived to the present day in the form of a permanent ruin, it is an excellent material testimony to the power of the Teutonic Knights.
The monument of Nicolaus Copernicus
The monument of Nicolaus Copernicus is one of the most important symbols of Toruń. Created in the studio of the renowned Berlin sculptor Fryderyk Tiecka, it was placed in its current location in 1853. The monument presents the astronomer as a figure dressed in a professorial toga, holding an astronomical tool in his left hand. Unlike most of the monuments, the youthful face of Copernicus is adorned with a delicate mustache. The Latin inscription informs that the commemorated person is Nicolaus Copernicus, a Torunian who moved the Earth and stopped the Sun.
The Cosmopolis fountain
The fountain refers to the work of Copernicus and presents the heliocentric system, it is a popular attraction which attracts spectators to the evening performances. In the tourist season several times, after the sun sets, spectacular sound and light séances are presented, spouting with various water routines to the rhythm of the music.
