THE ANGELIC TORUŃ

  The angel and the gate in Toruń s crest appeared for the first time in 1470 at an affixed seal. Earlier, seals with the images of St. Mary with Infant Jesus and of St. John the Baptist served as the symbols of the town. Those seals were affixed on the most important city documents and international treaties. For regular correspondence the seal with the gate crowned with three towers was used. For two centuries Toruń s New Town had a separate emblem containing a watchtower with two turrets and Teutonic shields.


       After the 13 Years’ War had ended, when the Old and the New Towns of Toruń had already constituted one unit, the angel settled for good in the crest of Toruń. Holding a shield with an image of a half-open city gate, it was to symbolise God’s care of the city in times of war. With little changes, the pattern remained until the fall of the Republic of Poland. After the partitions the angel was substituted by a Prussian eagle. The angel, however, returned to the crest in periods of return of the Polish statehood, for example in the time of Warsaw Duchy.
       In the latter part of the 19th century in the coat of arms of Toruń there appeared an angel with a key in its right hand, who was either standing or kneeling, holding a shield with the city gate open to the left side. An example of it is the crest made in 1860 that is placed over the entrance to the Old Town Hall. During World War II there were a few versions of the crest with an angel during the Second Republic of Poland. The final one was approved in 1936. The angel was to disappear from the crest of Toruń two more times: during the Nazi occupation and during the Polish People’s Republic. It returned to its place by a decision of the City Council of Toruń in 1990.

MUST SEE: Tuba Dei (God's Trumpet)

In the tower of St. Johns’ cathedral is the biggest medieval bell in Poland  - Tuba Dei („God’s Trumpet”). It was made in 1500 and weighs about 7,5 tonnes. Its sound welcomed the kings arriving in Toruń and accompanied the most important municipal festivities. A measure of importance of the bell for the inhabitants can be the 12 thousand thaler worth ransom which was paid in 1703 by the city council to Swedes in exchange for their withdrawal from the plan to recast the „God’s Trumpet” into cannons. The bell is moved in a unique way: four bell-ringers push a wooden 600-year-old platform with their feat making it swing; at the top of the beam there is a chalice which hits the clapper of the bell. We can still admire the beautiful As-dur sound till today, on the most solemn occassions in Poland.
You can also see it by climbing up the tower of the cathedral (4zł) where you can also see the breathtaking bird's view of the city!

MUST SEE: St. Jacob's Church

St. Jacobs Church, built in 1309-1424 as a parish church for the New Town o f Toruń, is considered the greatest Gothic temple in Toruń.

A system of external buttresses, very rare in Poland, but typical of Gothic churches in Western Europe was used in it. It was partly covered in the 15th century as a result of the extension of its
aisles. Inside there have remained many valuable historic objects in part stemming also from the Dominican monastery which existed in Toruń 200 years ago. The most valuable objects of the interior are Gothic paintings and sculptures from the 14th and 15th centuries, Renaissance organs
and the Baroque high altar as well as the equipment of the side chapels.



In St. Jacob’s Church there is also a monumental, mystical crucifix presenting Christ crucified on the Tree of Life out of which grow 12 branches with leaves, decorated with images of the Old Testamen
prophets. This Gothic sculpture, made at the end of the 14th century for the Domican monastery in Toruń, is considered an outstanding
and unique work of Central European medieval art.

Inscription on the UNESCO list

The period of the medieval glory of Toruń has never repeated itself since then, but today a remnant of it is the almost unchanged area of the Old Town that has survived wars and, in the course of the centuries, gained new buildings of the period that go well with the unique atmosphere of the city. Despite the passing of time, one can still „touch” the Gothic here as it is dominant in the architecture and art of the old Toruń.

The historic Old Town of Toruń is a heritage of and bears witness to the lives of many generations. It is also a place where important historic events took place. No wonder then that in 1997 it was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List and has since been counted among the few most unique and priceless objects in the whole world.

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Toruń Stream and Pauline Brigde

The slow waters of the Vistula which lies much below the level of the buildings of the Old Town, were not suitable for the craftsmen’s work­shops, for driving the mills or for moats. Therefore, as early as in the 13^lh century a man-made canal of more than 8 kilometres, called Struga Toruńska, was built. Still today it supplies the city with water from one of the tributaries of the Drwęca River. Within the boarders of the Old Town the stream ran in a corridor between the walls of the Old and New Town, and flowed into the Vistula near the Teutonic Knights’ castle. In the 14^th century, on the Struga, by the Prison Gate (Brama Więzienna) and the Dominican monastery, whose mem­bers were called Paulers in Toruń, a wide bridge was built. With the pas­sing of time it became surrounded by houses. Today’s remnant of it is the name of the street Pauline Bridge (Most Pauliński) as well as the re­maining brick construction that is hidden under the stone cobbles.

MUST SEE: The ruins of the Teutonic Order Castle

The castle was built in 13^th century on site of former fortified settlement. That was why it was an unusual horseshoe shape. The inhabitants were 12 order knights and a commander representing the Teutonic Order power on these lands. In 1454 the inhabitants of Torun instigated an uprising against the Teutonic Order; they took over the castle and pulled it down. Nowadays, the only remains of the castle are Gdanisko, w former lavatory tower, and picturesque ruins. The ruins serve as a background for many concerts, and tournaments.

MUST SEE: St Johns' Cathedral

The construction of the cathedral started in mid – 13^th century and was continued in stages for over 200 years. It is the biggest and oldest of all town’s churches. Among its rich interior decorations, of particular importance are the main altar with Saint Wolfgang created in years 1502-1506, valuable wall paintings and baroque and rococo altars. There is also a medieval font in which Nicholas Copernicus was baptized. On the tower opened for sightseeing there is a gothic bell Tuba Dei and a clock called “rafters’ clock”, which shows time with only one hand.

Tuba Dei Bell (God’s Trumpet) was cast in 1500 in bronze with  an addition of silver and gold. It is the biggest medieval bell in Poland and it weighs about 7,5 tones. According to the legend, in order to place the bell on the tower, a 800 meter ramp was built over the roofs of houses and seven fine oxen pulled it up. In the old times, the sound of the bell welcomed monarchs visiting Torun. Nowadays, it honors all the most important church ceremonies.