Torun acquired its city charter in 1233, which resulted in
the great increase of its population. Settlers were coming from Kujawy,
Mazowsze, faraway Silesia, as well as German lands. The arrival of merchant
families to Torun initiated the development of commerce. The newcomers, frequently
originating from the merchant families of important cities, almost immediately
started commercial contacts with their native cities, beginning the development
of thriving in the following centuries commerce in our city. The merchants of
Torun acted as middlemen in commercial activities between the southern-east and
northern-west parts of Europe. Torun was located at the intersection of the
main land and water trading routes, on the main route of Mediaeval Poland,
leading from Hungary towards the north to the mouth of the Vistula, and further
on to Flanders (currently Belgium, Netherlands and France). The Vistula route,
joining Cracow with the markets of Europe Via the city of Copernicus, was of
great importance too.
Commercial activities required privileges, in which kings,
dukes or feudal lords would allow merchants to perform commercial activities
within their territories. The privileges described in detail routes that could
be used by merchants, or customs house, i.e. places where they paid custom
taxes for commodities. Torun knew well the significance of privileges, so from
the very beginning it was striving for them insistently, leading a skillful and
cautious policy at the same time. It wasn’t that hard since it was the
merchants, mainly wealthy ones, who held the reins of government in the city.
Both foreign and transit commerce was in their hands. Initially, having little
significance, the city couldn’t exist without the protection of its sovereign –
the Teutonic Knight Order, which procured particular privileges of Polish rules
providing influence on the trading routes. The first privilege of that kind concerned
the route from Prussia, called droga wielkopolska, and was leading via
Inowroclaw, Gniezno and Poznan to Gubin, and further westwards. Soon the city
acquired numerous privileges from the dukes of Mazowsze and Kujawy. Every year the
territories controlled by our merchants reached further. At the end of the 13th
century they got to Krakow, Wlodzimierz, Lwow and Silesia. At this time the
city itself applied for privileges.
The numerous merchants of Torun visited Polish territories,
where they brought imported commodities – salted herrings, dried cod and other
sea fish, wine from the South, olive, spices for mass customers. They also
traded copper, lead, iron, furs (mainly Russian) and wax. They also promoted
the city selling the goods made by the craftsmen of Torun, such as fine tanned
leather or haberdashery. Silver, copper and lead came from Cracow, large amount
of timber and forest products from Podkarpacie, and from Malopolska yew used by
the English to make their bows.
Joining Hanza, the merchant association,
already around 1280 was of great significance for the commercial activities.
Apart from Torun also Chelmno, Braniewo, Elblag, Gdansk, Krolewiec, as well as
German, Dutch, Pomeranian, Livonian and Swedish cities were the members of the
association. Also Cracow and Wroclaw could take advantage of the privileges of
the association. The policy of Hanza had been created since its origin by the
assemblies of the cities that were its members.
The commercial power of Torun was at its peak in the 14th
century. The wealth of merchants and their participation in the development of
the city were reflected in the great Gothic architecture of Torun. Thanks to
the amassed capital the most affluent merchants embellished the city with more
and more beautiful buildings, gaining authority and respect. It was them who
made up the patriciate, which held the reigns of government in the city. At
that time the merchants of Torun were known in almost whole Europe, from
Russia, Hungary, Silesia and Malopolska, to Sweden, England, Netherlands and
Flanders. Commercial companies created by merchants to obtain a particular aim
or for longer time were not rare either. The trade with western countries was
thriving and developing, bringing great profits to the merchants. The honesty
of merchants was occasionally undermined by complaints concerning rotten fish,
not fresh eel, or pieces of cloth shorter and narrower than required.
In such wide commercial activities it was significant to
avoid mistakes or unintentional swapping of commodities, and most of all
recognized them in case of shipwrecking and casting them away, packed, on a
shore. The system of branding commodities worked perfectly. Since the very
beginning merchants had branded them with the marks of possession called gmerki.
They had the role of trademarks, and very often stood for signatures. Their
shape reminded geometrical figures. Firstly used rather seldom, later on they
became heraldic signs of merchants and their families.
