Toruń Gingerbread (Lebkuchen)

In this shop of the firm Kopernik you can buy all
kinds of ginger breads (Lebkuchen).

"Lebkuchen" are already baked from the 14th century.

Not only because of the the good flour and honey from the neighbourhood Torun was the right city for these cakes.

Also the fact that Torun was situated at the European trade roads, made it possible to obtain the right spices.

.

Here you can read more about the firm or about the history in a virtual book format.

Toruń November 1 : All Saints' Day - All Soul's Day

During All Saint's Day (Wszystkich Świętych) and All Soul's Day (Święto zmartłych) the public transport is on standby.

The City Department of Communications in Torun, produced a special resolution associated with the feast of All Saints and line 61 was put on to the Municipal Cemetery.

On the graveyards you see a lot of coloured candles and it looks like a disco.

Alas a lot of accidents take place, for there are so many (too many?) people on the road.

An interesting link (in Dutch) is:

http://www.pluspost.nl/geen-halloween-wel-een-massale-run-op-de-begraafplaatsen/20586

(picture from agencja gazeta)

Toruń Nowy Rynek Toilet

Toruń has two market squares, the Old Rynek and the New Rynek.

The Nowy Rynek is square (95x95 m), and was the commercial centre of New Town of Torun till August 12, 1264.

It received city rights, or their own counsel, the bench (the court), offices, stamp, crest, and up to 8 Mar 1454, it remained a separate body from the Old the city of Torun.

On the square is a building erected like a small Greek house with columns.

In this building a public toilet is made downstairs.

You see this view on the square when you go upstairs.

Toruń Szeroka Corner II

Nowadays it is still a store house, but more a shopping wall with several different shops.

It's called Dom Towarowy and on the first floor, where you could see clothes on the picture below, now coffee and snacks are sold.

If you compare the pictures you see that some buildings have got an extra floor.

Toruń Szeroka Corner I

This corner is the most famous corner of Torun, since the statue of Copernicus is erected here.

You see the most left building, the store house of M.S. Leiser.

The picture is made in the beginning of 1900.

Toruń Gwiazda Kopernika

An animation movie about Copernicus has been released.

See here for the trailer.

Toruń Love at the Wisla Banks

What is nicer at a summer evening than to sit with your love near the banks of the Wisla and see the wrinkling of the water, streaming to the north, also when the town is sleeping and all have gone to bed.

Toruń On the map of Poland

Regulary is asked where Toruń is situated on the

<-------Polish map.

Follow the arrow and you see it above the name of the country: Polska

Toruń Dutch flag

During my stay in Poland I hardly think of Holland.

But when I was going to the centre of Toruń I saw a walking Dutch flag - red white blue- in front of me.

Her friend shall not be aware that she wears the colours of the flag of Finland :)

Indeed, why should she....

Toruń Renovation Szeroka

In 2008 the local government started the renovation of Szeroka.

The renovation should be finished at the end of 2008.

The project overruns now months and months.

Timeconsuming was also the time that archeologists needed to search for traces when suddenly workmen encountered a big part of the castle that has been built by the Teutonic knights.

Toruń Urząd Skarbowy

The office of the tax authorities in Torun is called the Urząd Skarbowy, in the Szosa Chełmińska street close to the centre.

As in many countries, also in Poland the tax form, called PIT, has to be filled in before the first of April. That's a time of stress and caculating :).

From the income tax 1% will be used for a good cause that you can mention on your tax form. The other 99% goes to the national government :(

Toruń Lunch

If I am in Toruń I really like to have lunch at the Queensland Cafe in the shopping centre Dom Towarowy.

Especially if I have the opportunity to sit near the window and have a look down at the Copernicus statue which is the main meeting point of the city.

My favorite lunch here is tosti and cappuccino. Simple, quick and tasty. And it looks more tasty by the beautiful light on the table.

Toruń Prison Okrąglak

Almost at the corner of the Fosa Staromiejska and Piekary street is a lamp-post with signs with the names of five of the many hotels in Toruń.
The signs point to the direction in which the hotels are situated.

It’s strange that one "hotel" is not mentioned, namely the ”hotel” that you see behind the signs. It’s the Toruń “Government Hotel” :) or better the city prison, built in the XIX century.

In 1992 the prison, called Okrąglak for it has been built like a rotunda, was renovated and

after that still in use.

Before the renovation I have seen how women and children had contact with the prisoners during their break. By sign language and screaming they bridged the distance between the high windows of the prison and the street. Slanging matches seemed to take the best part of the time.

Nowadays the windows are hermetically closed and that is the end of the lively street theatre.

Toruń Ice In The Wisła

The 1,047 kilometers long river Wisła passes by Toruń. Ice from the Beskidy mountains is dragged to Gdansk to the Baltic Sea (if it isn’t melting too much).

In the background the 996,7 meters long truss bridge (completed in 1873) converted for rail traffic only.