Toruń ..the old town and around..

Toruń, I think  is one of the most beautiful city in Poland, it also hits the top ten list of visiting places in Poland along with the big cities like Warsaw & Krakow.  I tried a lot to reduce the number pictures for this post, but  that would be an injustice to this beautiful city which  sustained no damage during World War II,  preserving its medieval architecture. Also, you must not just visit , try to stay a week or so here so that you can feel this vibrant city. We went to Poland for, my husband was flight director in one ” Mars analogous simulation” which happened in Torun, birth place of astronomer Nicolaus copernicus . And while we lived there for two weeks , I walked every corner of the old town to click some pictures..

As a courtesy that Torun was chosen for the mission, the city council arranged a free show in the planetarium  for our team. It has been one of the best planetarium show I have seen, though it is a small planetarium. If you want to visit, the cost is 9 zł per person. Then the city council has been kind enough to arrange one free walking tour for us, one lady guide walked us around. Below you can see the town jail ( quite pretty huh?) which is adjacent to the planetarium. Also the university Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu is just opposite to the planetarium.

 

Cosmopolis fountain

As we went along, we came to the Fountain Cosmopolis  in the square near the university’s Harmonica building . It is a very popular place for the locals , the kids and the tourists. Water shows during the day and colourful lights, water effects and music plays during night happens regularly.. Its design had been prepared by a local artist, Zbigniew Mikielewicz , an awesome way of the city to tribute their famous  astronomer.The Fountain refers to the famous work by Nicolaus Copernicus, “On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres”. The rings – orbits of individual planets – carry 113 water nozzles, sprinkling water in combination with light effects. The nozzle that is located in the centre, where the Sun is, lets the water to be sprinkled up to 5m high, while the orbital nozzles – up to 4.5m. All of these are controlled electronically. Just beside are the sociology, political science and arts departments of the university.

 The Leaning Tower of Toruń is a medieval tower in Toruń.  The top of the tower is displaced 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) from where it would be if the tower were perfectly vertical. Located on Pod Krzywa Wieza street, it is one of the most important landmarks.It has an interesting story of love behind it.. In the tower, there lived 12 Teutonic Knights, who were forbidden to meet with women. However, one monk fell in love with the daughter of a rich merchant, and met her in secret. However someone  reported them to the commander . Both lovers were fined, the woman was sentenced to 25 lashes, and the knight was ordered to build a tilted tower, in the same way as his conduct had deviated from the monastic rule. To this day, legend has it that those who have sinned are not able to keep their balanc under the tower (we tried and failed of course 😉

 

 

 

House of star

Interesting panoramic view of Torun city can be obtained from the tower of Town hall. The beautiful old town and river vistula are visible from here.

Church of Holy spirit

Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist

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The Donkey from above…

The angel of Toruń guards, as in the past, the whole of Toruń. The angel is an element that distinguishes the crest of Toruń from among the heraldic signs of other Polish cities. The profile of the angel appeared in the crest of Toruń after the end of the thirteen-year war in the 15th century and has survived to our times. Thanks to this, the angel is one of the most important symbols of Toruń.

Pomnik flisaka w Toruniu was founded by the townspeople and officially unveiled on in the courtyard of the town hall. , in 1954, went to the alpine park – a park built in the immediate vicinity of the Leaning Tower and National Heritage Gate Starotorunska. In 1983 the monument-fountain returned to its original place. It has already been set up on the Old Town Square.

Most important sculpture of Torun is indeed of  astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, a  bronze statue  standing on a granite pedestal bearing a Latin inscription in gold letters, which translates as: ‘Nicolaus Copernicus of Toruń, moved the Earth, held the Sun and the heavens’.The statue, twice-life-size on a 16-foot pedestal, was in 1856 considered one of only eight monuments to Copernicus.

 

At the corner of ul Chełmińska, you’ll find a cute statue depicting a dog and an umbrella. The pooch’s name is Filus; he starred in a famous long-running Polish comic strip as the pet of brolly-wielding Professor Filutek.

 

Teutonic castle ruins in Toruń – Northern wall with the commemorative plaque dedicated to the uprising and pulling down the castle in 1454

Statue of Teutonic Knight

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