Torun, Poland
July 15, 2025
Established in the 13th century CE by Teutonic Knights, Torun soon grew wealthy on trade. Goods were traded up and down the river Vistula and burghers built their lavish houses. Soon outgrowing the Old Town, it enveloped the area that used to be for craftsmen and merged with the newer town. No fewer than three churches border the square. One sits smack in the middle of the square while the St. Jacobs church at one corner has pillars rising from a part of its roof, something I have not seen before. Stranger still is what looks like a model atop its front gate. Again, something new. Down the same street I can see the tall spire of St. Catherine’s Church.
In southeast corner of this New Market square, I see a building with people streaming in. This is the Gospoda Pod Modrym Fartuchem, the oldest tavern in Torun. Founded in 1498, it is known to have served various royalty and rumored to have hosted Napoleon. It has reputedly been in continuous operation since its founding – a noteworthy feat! The tiny space has wood beamed ceiling and a cozy charm. It is crowded with mostly domestic tourists but I haven’t long to wait. The menus, made to look like old newsprints aren’t exhaustive but interestingly different from other local eateries. The herring and gingerbread wine have my tastebuds doing a happy dance.
Such wealth of course required safeguarding which came with an encircling wall studded with several gates. Many of the gates still stand, some renovated, some enlarged. A guard tower in one corner leans at a discernable angle – the shifting of the ground over the centuries is to blame says a placard. Although not quite the leaning tower of Pisa, it is still interesting.
As are the lavish residences of the wealthy burghers. Mostly made of brick with gothic features, they reflect the prosperity of this city as a member of the Hanseatic League. This was a guild of merchants and market towns in central and northern Europe that flourished during the 13th-15th centuries, at its peak including some two hundred towns! But more intriguing to me were the occasional tiny houses sandwiched between large mansions. To my mind they have a whimsy that the grander ones don’t. The only building not made of brick and mortar seems to be the wooden puppet theater.
Just across from one of the more ornate gates, on the banks of the river is a vestige of the robust trade of bygone years: an old Swiss Granary. A mural on one wall shows a cross section of what it once looked like and an immense hook hung from the rafters illustrates the ease loading and unloading sacks of grain. The building has been converted to a hotel and restaurant but an effort is made to retain some of the historical features. The huge waterwheel once used to turn a grindstone, still turns in one corner of the large dining space.
Just outside the walls is the river Vistula. These days, the only ships it sees are restaurants and cruise boats but I don’t see much signs of either. A couple of cafes are strung along the grassy banks. One has beach chairs spread out for sun-bathing while a sentry post of old times keeps watch. At another pavilion strains of Argentine tango float in the air as weekend visitors from other towns dance in the mild sunshine.
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 