Toruń

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founded in 1233 and listed on the UNESCO world heritage list since 1997 with reason. It still has its original street patterns and many of the buildings stand from the 14th and 15th centuries.

The most famous product of Toruń is the gingerbread cookie. The tradition of baking these aromatic cookies in the town of Copernicus is almost as long as the history of Toruń. Justyna told me that one who visits the city must not leave before trying one of the cookies. The cookies were softer than gingerbread cookies I was used to and many had different fillings. The old town here was very solid and beautiful for a city of its size - it didnt seem anywhere near as large as Warsaw or Gdansk.

There is a tremendous amout of history here. Germans took the city in WWII and some 16,000 germans populated the city and Poles were forced to accept German nationality and public use of Polish language was forbidden. In 1939 the last group of Jews were transported to Lodz and thousands of Poles were forced out and 500 intellectuals were executed in Barbarka forest. Since then the city went back to Poland. Now and interestingly some Germans are actively seeking reparations despite decisions of the Potsdam Conference and the Treaty of Versailles.


Typical street in Toruń with Monika and camera.


Another typical street scene in the old town.


Government building


Another statue of Nicolaus Copernicus. This is where he was born and lived 50 miles from here most of his life.


Front door of where Nicolaus Copernicus was born. Its now a museum, but we didn't go inside.


Flowers to make everyone happy.


The pipe organ inside Saint Mary's Cathedral. Its not the largest in Poland, but was nothing small. If I could play the organ I would have snuck in a couple chords.


The Wisla river. Notice the dry burnt grass. I arrived on the tail end of a hot draught. Things got greener towards the end of my stay in Poland.


An extremely small toad found inside Justyna's parents green house thing among tomato plants. He had sand and stuff on him here so I washed him off in the water tank and released him later.

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