The best side of Toruń

Ok... So... Like... Well... Then… To be honest... Let me start again...

Toruń, Poland

Arguably one of the nicest cities in the country. It will try to lure you in different ways to come over. With a beautiful red-brick, medieval old town. With traditions and legends lurking behind its every corner. With a smell of gingerbread. With its rich and diverse history. Trust me, it will try.

As most of the places aware of their charms

And it was so hard for me to start this text because it makes me look like a little grumbling, ungrateful lily-liver’d boy* to say that most of what you’ll read about my hometown is pretty... average. Of course the old town, the gothic architecture, cafés, restaurants, pubs, Nicolaus Copernicus, the university, the gingerbread, history, sport (speedway), vodka, local cuisine (of course starting with pierogi), etc.

Don’t get me wrong, please! It’s all there! Trust me, it is. And it makes all of us who live here, the toruniaks, really proud. We’ll show you all that. We’ll make sure that you are impressed with the birthplace of the great astronomer(and to be honest, being born is one of the things that happen literally to anyone and regardless of whether you look at the stars professionally or for free). We’ll feed you like a goose with the Kopernik™ gingerbread toruńskie pierniki. We’ll talk for ages about what king of an unpronounceable name died in one of the town hall’s chambers. We will take you somewhere to eat. We will take you somewhere to drink. We will make sure you say it’s the prettiest city in Poland.

But you will hear similar bragging from almost any local who wants you to visit their homeplace. You know that you have to take it with a pinch of salt. You have heard similar praises before. You want something more objective, something you can absolutely be sure to see when you arrive. Otherwise, you might be likely to give Toruń a miss, am I right?

This is why I wrote this text. There is a thing that you should see here.

The old town panorama

Without showing off I’ve been to some places before. I’ve seen prettier old towns, I’ve heard more incredulous town legends. I’ve travelled to places with more history, nicer restaurants, better sport culture, more academic acclaim, more kings tragically dying and more celebrities being born there. And yet none of them could equal my hometown when it came to panoramas. **

Of course, Shanghai, New York or Frankfurt can boast really impressive views, with tall skyscrapers shooting for the sky. They could look down on Toruń, like Thanos on Gamora in last Marvel film. Because Toruń’s panorama is a little, cute gem that makes your heart melt. There are no modern superstructures in sight. Instead you’re staring at a continuous shape of medieval buildings basking in warm, yellowish lantern lights. The view in front of you hasn’t changed much throughout the centuries. It is almost the same as the one that sailors, merchants and wanderers faced 50, 150 and 500 years ago.

And it will stay with you for equally long.

*My sincere apologies for the fact that my photos don't do Toruń justice but believe me I'm trying. You can see how much better the city looks when you visit it.

Glossary

Nicolaus Copernicus —famous renaissance astronomer who was the first one in ages to claim that the Earth revolves around Sun, not the other way around. He was also quite firm on stating that the Earth was a sphere.

Kopernik™toruńskie pierniki —countrywide famous gingerbread confectionery made in the same place for quite some time. Worth giving them a try, you won’t regret it.

Speedway —source of pride for most toruniaks; a motor team-sport where two pairs from opposing teams ride four laps on a gravel track scoring points for their team. In Toruń you will find the biggest speedway stadium in the world: the “Motoarena”. It is well worth going there to see a speedway match.

Pierogi —Poland’s National Treasures dough filled with a savoury filling (meat, cheese, or vegetables) and cooked by boiling and sometimes pan-frying. Delicious! Should not be translated as “dumplings”. Ever.

*one of my favourite Shakespearean insults

“Go, prick thy face, and over-red thy fear, Thou lily-liver’d boy”.

Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 3)

**The other city that can boast a similarly spectacular panorama is Luxembourg. I’ll admit that.

Photo gallery