Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Torun

  • Torun – Museum of the History of Torun

    Torun – Museum of the History of Torun

    I wasn’t overly impressed by the Copernicus museum when I visited yesterday, I thought that the technology was badly used and the curatorship seemed weak. The Museum of the History of Torun seems to be run by the same overseeing organisation, so my expectations weren’t particularly high.

    The museum was though a tour de force of curatorship and technology, which felt professional throughout. Someone has worked out the signage, everything is in order and the displays are all accessible. There’s also a reasonable amount of technology, all working well and all adding something to the displays. And, the small display on Copernicus was presented so well that I managed to find out numerous things that I hadn’t known, despite visiting a museum dedicated to him the day before.

    The tour starts downstairs in a room with a large screen and there’s opportunity to watch around 15 different videos. The only slight limitation with this is that you have to select a language, so if there are multiple visitors then it’s a bit awkward trying to hog the controls. But it didn’t matter for me, I was the only one there.

    This is clever, the arrow changes depending on which direction you’re approaching it from. This is useful as there’s a bit of a double-backing needed to ensure visitors get to where they need to be and I’ve never seen this use of technology before.

    Some stone bricks from Torun Castle which was built by knights from the Teutonic Order. The knights irritated the locals and it got pulled down in 1454, but it’s nice to see some remnants from it. The ruins of the castle do still exist, which I hope to visit at some point over the next few days.

    The signage on these says that they’re copper slices, but I think these are what I would call copperplate and they may have been found on a shipwreck.

    The two white things are pawns from a game, along with keys and knives. The item in the top left is a rattle.

    A coat of arms for Torun, dating from the nineteenth century.

    A door from a house on Rynek Staromiejski 9, which dates back to around 1630 until 1640.

    A 1969 bust of Lenin.

    I thought that this museum was well put together and represented excellent value for money at just over £2. There’s plenty to see in the rooms and perhaps one of the few limitations was that the information about some of the exhibits was just a little lacking in detail. The building that the museum is located in has some considerable heritage as well, originally constructed as a tenement house for the Esken family, which was later turned into a granary.

    There’s an impressive amount of text in the rooms, something that I like as visitors can decide whether they want to read it or not. The staff were friendly and I left the museum feeling that I knew a lot more about the history of Torun.

  • Torun – Neko Cafe

    Torun – Neko Cafe

    There’s a slow and steady increase in the number of cat cafes, where visitors can sit amongst cats in a cafe environment. The kitchen and till area is deliberately closed off from the main part of the cafe, for hygiene reasons, and there’s a careful door arrangement near the entrance to stop any cats from sneaking out of the premises.

    There was a friendly welcome, so I ordered a coffee. There was food available, although I didn’t see any menus or idea of what exactly what was on offer. The service was always helpful though, I assume the staff rather quite enjoy working amongst all of the cats (or at least, it’d be an irritating job for someone to have who hated cats). The coffee tasted of a good quality as well and was reasonably priced at around £2.

    The interior of the cafe, which was relatively busy, although not full.

    Some of the cats.

    Then a little pussy cat comes over to the table.

    Intrigued by my camera.

    And having a little look at the screen.

    All very lovely, although there didn’t seem to be any published rules as I’ve seen in other cat cafes which tries to regulate the conduct of the customers on how they interact with cats. The cats all looked happy though, with plenty of areas they could go and hide in if they wanted.

  • Torun – Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    Torun – Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary (or in Polish, Kościół Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Marii Panny w Toruniu) is one of the most beautiful historic churches that I’ve visited, although I found it a very challenging building to understand and there is much that I didn’t comprehend. The church is currently undergoing some renovations part-funded by the European Union and there’s not currently any literature to guide visitors.

    The nave of the church and the rood screen, which dates to the eighteenth century. There is some scaffolding visible as well which is either supporting the building, which has had problems before with leaning, or it’s for the renovation.

    The floor is a patchwork of mostly damaged stones, there’s lots of heritage there.

    There are no shortage of wall paintings in the church.

    One of the tombs in the church.

    More wall painting and what I think is a nineteenth century stained glass window. There are three naves in the church, which once all had their own individual roofs, but they were given one large single roof in 1798.

    I couldn’t ascertain the age of this arch, but I assume it’s from the earliest stage of the church’s history. And, this is the fourth church on the site, with the first having been built here in the early thirteenth century. Work started on the current church in the late fourteenth century, with the work overseen by the Franciscan friars. I hadn’t realised that Franciscan buildings don’t have towers, hence why the construction is as it is.

    Things changed somewhat in 1557, when the church was taken over by the Protestants until what is wonderfully known as the Torun Tumult of 1724. The unfortunate consequence of this tumult, which were battles between Catholics and Protestants, were punishments including the death penalty and some buildings were damaged or destroyed. From 1724, the church was given to the Bernardine friars, who looked after it until it was taken over by the parish in 1821 when the order was dissolved. The church had been badly damaged during the sieges of Torun in 1809 and 1813, so necessary repairs were undertaken between 1825 and 1830.

    The Christmas nativity scene, which I’d have thought must be going soon since it’s now the second half of January.

    The architecture of this building is so complex and I was conscious that I didn’t understand it and I’m sure that I missed some interesting and intriguing pieces of history. Nonetheless, it’s a glorious church and it felt like it had some considerable heritage. It was also the coldest church, in temperature terms, that I’ve ever been in, with quite a dark feel in places where the light couldn’t get really permeate. However, that gave the building even more atmosphere, it felt all quite spiritual.

  • Torun – House of Nicolaus Copernicus

    Torun – House of Nicolaus Copernicus

    It’s known that Copernicus lived in Torun, but there’s some doubt about exactly where Nicolaus was brought up as the family owned two homes in the city. Since only one of them remains, it’s best to assume that it’s this one. Either way, the museum is located in a fifteenth century gothic style building that was owned by the family, so there’s a high chance that he at least visited. Nicolaus Copernicus was born in 1473 and was an astronomer and scientist, who was also known for his economic theories.

    The museum starts, confusingly with an exhibition in the cellar primarily in Polish, on astronomy. The astronomy link is understandable, but I’m unsure why they’ve started a tour of the museum without giving any context to Copernicus, or indeed the building. So, after what I felt was a poor use of the space, the tour continued on up the stairs. This was also the only area which was mostly in Polish, so perhaps it’s a temporary exhibit that they’ve replacing.

    There are a series of rooms which are furnished and decorated with furniture contemporary to the period. Understandably, there’s nothing left of the interiors from this property and very few original items relating to Copernicus exist other than in nationally important collections. That means there are a lot of copies of books, documents and paintings, all of which is no doubt inevitable.

    The highlight of the museum, and its strongest element, are the recreated rooms which do give some context to how the building used to look. Above is what the museum term as a kitchenette, which seems an accurate description, as it’s a kitchen set off from the main hall. It is apparently usual for the north-eastern corner of a high hall to be used in this manner, with the chimney visible in the above photo.

    An Hevelius compass from 1638, produced by Johannes Hevelius, who was also the Mayor of Gdansk. This is one of the treasures of the museum’s collection and although there’s no direct link with Copernicus, it’s a piece of astronomical history.

    The museum has become a little obsessed with technology and this room gave the impression of being on fire. I understand these elements are useful for engaging children, but some of the technology and screens in the museum don’t work properly. The screens are also in places nearly entirely pointless, some just contain a few pages of text which the museum might as well have put on the wall. Indeed, there’s a lack of information to read across the museum, with some rooms containing only minimal information.

    A recreation of a tenement house.

    The museum was refurbished a few years ago and an elevator was added to the rear of the building, which is where these were found. A screen next to the knives usefully told me that they are metal knives and there’s a photo of them. To me, this is a ridiculous use of technology, I don’t need a photo of an item that it’s next to, I can look at the actual item. And telling me it’s a metal knife isn’t really informing me of anything. If the museum wants to use technology, it could have given information about how they were excavated or an example of what they might have originally looked like.

    No screen here fortunately, this a tanned leather pouch from the fourteenth century.

    An old sign from when the building was turned into a museum.

    I didn’t really engage with this museum, there wasn’t enough depth to the information provided and the signage in the museum wasn’t entirely clear. I’ve never really understood museums doing this as if I can see people going the wrong way, surely a curator would see the same and put some more arrows up? I think that the museum pre-2017 had information only in Polish, so the screens were perhaps added to allow for information to be provided in German and English. There’s only a certain amount of patience that visitors can have though pushing screens that are only partly responsive, so given the technology didn’t provide much more information, I personally don’t see the point in them. However, the museum isn’t badly reviewed, so it clearly isn’t offending many people.

    My random complaints apart, it’s an interesting enough way to spend an hour, as the interiors are well described and there’s quite a lot of house that can be seen. I would have liked more information about the history of the building between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries though, this seemed to be missing from the museum’s narrative. Although, I suspect that I missed a room because of some signage I didn’t think was clear, so perhaps it was in there. And on another note, the building itself is in excellent condition internally and externally, as well as being clean and well maintained.

  • Torun – Old City Tram Network

    Torun – Old City Tram Network

    I like little pieces of history which are dotted around cities, giving information that might otherwise be lost. In this case it’s a piece of old tramline, a memory of when the trams used to shuttle through the city centre itself. The trams still run in Torun, just not through the old city itself and that’s probably a good idea to preserve some sense of peace and decorum in the centre.

    The remaining piece of tram line and a stone to mark this piece of heritage.

  • Torun – UNESCO City

    Torun – UNESCO City

    The medieval town of Torun is undoubtedly beautiful and its heritage was recognised by UNESCO in 1997 when it was added to the official register World Heritage sites. There are 16 such listed sites in Poland and this is the sixth that I’ve visited.

    Pinching UNESCO’s text:

    “Toruń in northern Poland is a remarkably well preserved example of a medieval European trading and administrative centre, located on the Vistula River. Toruń was founded in the period when Christianity was being spread through Eastern Europe by the military monks of the Teutonic Order, and when rapid growth in trade between the countries of the Baltic Sea and Eastern Europe was being spurred by the Hanseatic League. Toruń became a leading member of the Hanseatic League in the territories ruled by the Teutonic Order.

    The Medieval Town of Toruń is comprised of three elements: the ruins of the Teutonic Castle, the Old Town, and the New Town. The combination of the castle with the two towns, surrounded by a circuit of defensive walls, represents a rare form of medieval settlement agglomeration. The majority of the castle – which was built in a horseshoe-shaped plan in the mid-13th century as a base for the conquest and evangelization of Prussia – was destroyed during an uprising in 1454, when the local townspeople revolted against the Teutonic Order. The ruins and the archaeological remains have been excavated and safeguarded. The Old Town was granted an urban charter in 1233, which swiftly led to its expansion as a major commercial trading centre. The adjacent New Town developed from 1264, mainly as a centre for crafts and handiwork. Both urban areas bear witness to the interchange and creative adaptation of artistic experience that took place among the Hanseatic towns.

    An exceptionally complete picture of the medieval way of life is illustrated in the original street patterns and early buildings of Toruń. Both the Old Town and the New Town have Gothic parish churches and numerous fine medieval brick townhouses, many of which have retained their original Gothic façades, partition walls, stucco-decorated ceilings, vaulted cellars, and painted decoration. Many townhouses in Toruń were used for both residential and commercial purposes. A fine example is the house in which Nicolaus Copernicus was reputedly born in 1473; it has been preserved as a museum devoted to the famous astronomer’s life and achievements. The townhouses often included storage facilities and remarkable brick granaries, some of which were up to five storeys high. Because so many houses have survived from this period, the medieval plots are for the most part still preserved, delineated by their original brick boundary walls.

    Criterion (ii): The small historic medieval trading and administrative city of Toruń preserves to a remarkable extent its original street pattern and outstanding early buildings. It set a standard for the evolution of towns in this region during Eastern Europe’s urbanisation process in the 13th and 14th centuries. The combination of two towns with a castle is a rare form of medieval settlement agglomeration that has survived almost intact, and numerous buildings of considerable intrinsic value have been faithfully preserved within the town. In its heyday, Toruń boasted a wide range of architectural masterpieces, which exerted a powerful influence on the whole of the Teutonic state and the neighbouring countries.

    Criterion (iv): Toruń provides an exceptionally complete picture of the medieval way of life. Its spatial layout provides valuable source material for research into the history of urban development in medieval Europe, and many of its buildings represent the highest achievements in medieval ecclesiastical, military, and civil brick-built architecture.”

  • Torun – Rubaru

    Torun – Rubaru

    The actual name of this restaurant is RuBaRu, although I’m unsure of the significance of the capitalisation and the owners have another outlet in Bydgoszcz. There might not be a large number of Indian restaurants in Poland, but those that there are don’t tend to be too bad at all. The welcome was immediate and seemed authentic, with the staff member being attentive and helpful throughout the meal.

    The interior is colourful and bright, with some of the building’s brickwork exposed towards the front of the restaurant. It was all comfortable, clean and welcoming, with an unhurried atmosphere. It wasn’t very busy when I went in, and by not very busy, I mean that I was the only customer. It got a little busier later on and there were also numerous takeaway orders, so it’s clearly not an unpopular location.

    The chicken saag, mixed vegetables, raita, naan bred, rice and salad, which was all part of a thali lunch-time meal deal. The food was well presented and exceeded my expectations, with the portion size being fine for a lunch and everything was at the appropriate temperature. The naan bread was rich and full of flavour, the rice was perfectly cooked and the raita was fine, although lacked texture. The freshly chopped salad might have been sitting for a short while as the lettuce was browning just slightly, but it still seemed relatively fresh. The mixed vegetables were almost the star of this little show, as they were soft and flavoursome. Let’s be fair, anything that can make vegetables taste good should be applauded. The chicken saag also had a richness of taste and the chicken was tender, although it didn’t seem to have a vast amount of the flavour from the sauce. But, nonetheless, this was all a very good meal.

    The prices were very reasonable, even by Polish standards, with the meal costing around £3 and the Żywiec costing around £1.50. The service was welcoming and, although the reviews have been quite mixed, I’d merrily recommend this restaurant to others. The rest of the menu looked well balanced and it contains some standard Indian dishes, as well as some more unique options, with a feeling of some authenticity to the whole operation.

  • Flixbus – Gdynia to Torun

    Flixbus – Gdynia to Torun

    Fifteen minutes before the scheduled departure time, the Flixbus pulls into the coach station located at the front of Gdynia’s railway station. The Flixbus app provides useful information on not just where the coach station is located, but also which bus stop to wait at. And, also, at the bus stop there’s confirmation that the Flixbus departs from platform 6.

    I think it’s fair to say that I’m not the biggest fan of Flixbus, they have been buying up what seems like most coach operators around Europe and the service offered has been, frankly, inadequate. After tens of journeys, not once have they managed to provide all of the following components:

    (i) A friendly driver

    (ii) Working wi-fi

    (iii) Adequate temperature

    (iv) Working power

    (v) Details of where the coach stop is (accurate information that is)

    Usually at least two or three of these aren’t achieved.

    But, glory be to God, after years of travel and much disappointment, this was my first perfect Flixbus journey. The driver was friendly, the coach was clean, the app was accurate, the power and wi-fi worked, as well as the temperature being appropriate. The coach arrived on time, the whole service was impeccable and excellent value at just £5 for the journey. The driving was safe and either things are getting better on Flixbus, or I’m just becoming lucky, but this was a bargain journey with a company that made everything easy.