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Toruń
Old Town in Toruń from the left side of the Vistula River
Old Town in Toruń from the left side of the Vistula River
Flag of Toruń
Flag		 Coat of arms of Toruń
Coat of arms
Motto: Durabo (Latin: I will last)
Toruń (Poland)
Toruń
Toruń
Coordinates: 53°2′N 18°37′E / 53.033, 18.617
Country Flag of Poland Poland
Voivodeship Kuyavian-Pomeranian
County city county
Established 13th century
City rights 1233
Government
 - Mayor Michał Zaleski
Area
 - City 115. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Voivodeship The voivodeship or province (województwo has been a high-level Administrative subdivision of Poland since the 14th century Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (also known as Kuyavia-Pomerania Province or by its Polish name of województwo kujawsko-pomorskie or simply Kujawsko-Pomorskie A powiat (pronounced; Polish plural powiaty) is the second-level unit of Local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a County Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. 72 km² (44. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 7 sq mi)
Elevation 30 m (98 ft)
Population (2006)
 - City 207,381
 - Density 1,792. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 1/km² (4,641. 5/sq mi)
 - Metro 297,646
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 87-100 to 87-120
Area code(s) +48 56
Car plates CT
Website: http://www.torun.pl/
Medieval Town of Toruń*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Dąbski Palace in Toruń
State Party Flag of Poland Poland
Type Cultural
Criteria ii, iv
Reference 835
Region† Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription 1997  (21st Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
† Region as classified by UNESCO.

Toruń [ˈtɔruɲ] (Image:Ltspkr.png listen) (German: Thorn (Image:Ltspkr.png listen), Kashubian: Torń, Latin: Thorunium, see also: other names) is a city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River, with population over 207,190 as of 2006, making it the second largest city of the Kujawy-Pomerania Province, after Bydgoszcz. A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large Metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central Central European Time ( CET) is one of the names of the Time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+1 is used in the following locations Central European Time West Africa Time Western European Summer Time Daylight saving time ( DST Central European Summer Time ( CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 Time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+2 corresponds to the following Time zones Eastern European Time Egypt Standard Time Central Africa Time A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating Telephone number ranges to countries regions areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks In common with many Countries, Polish car number plates indicate the Region of Registration of the Vehicle encoded in the number plate A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex As of 2008 there are a total of 878 World Heritage Sites located in 145 "State Parties" Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. Asia Minor, Cyprus, all of the Aegean Islands, the Canaries A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Thor ( Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded God of Thunder in Germanic paganism and its subset Norse paganism Kashubian or Cassubian (Kashubian kaszëbsczi jãzëk, pòmòrsczi jãzëk, kaszëbskò-słowińskô mòwa; język kaszubski is one of Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Many cities in Europe have different names in different languages Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (also known as Kuyavia-Pomerania Province or by its Polish name of województwo kujawsko-pomorskie or simply Kujawsko-Pomorskie Bydgoszcz (Bromberg Bydgostia is a city in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers with The medieval old town of Toruń is a birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus. It was inscribed onto the World Heritage List of UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 1997. There are thirteen UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Poland. The first properties were inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1978 United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex

Previously it was a capital of Toruń Voivodeship (1975-98) and Pomeranian Voivodeship (1921-45). Toruń Voivodeship (województwo toruńskie was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975 &ndash 1998, superseded Pomeranian Voivodeship (also known as Pomerania Province or by its Polish name of województwo pomorskie {{IPA-pl|p|o|'|m|o|r|s|k|j|e}} or simply Pomorskie Since 1999 Toruń has been a seat of the self-government of Kujawy-Pomerania Province and, as such, one of its two capitals (together with Bydgoszcz). Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (also known as Kuyavia-Pomerania Province or by its Polish name of województwo kujawsko-pomorskie or simply Kujawsko-Pomorskie The cities and neighbouring poviats form the Bydgoszcz-Toruń bipolar metropolitan area. Bydgoszcz-Toruń (Polish aglomeracja bydgosko-toruńska) is the name of the bi-polar agglomeration in the middle of the Vistula river created by 2 cities Bydgoszcz In September 2004, Bydgoszcz Medical School joined Toruń's Nicolaus Copernicus University as its Collegium Medicum. Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu UMK is one of the most respected universities in Poland.

Contents

History

The first settlement in the vicinity is dated by archaeologists to 1100 BC (Lusatian culture). The Lusatian culture existed in the later Bronze Age and early Iron Age ( 1300 BC - 500 BC) in eastern Germany, most of Poland [1] During medieval times, in the 7th-13th centuries, it was a place of an old Polish settlement,[2] at the crossing of the river.

The Teutonic Knights built a castle there in the years 1230-31. The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. The town was granted city rights by the Polish Crown in 1233. Kulm law, Culm law or Chełmno Law (Kulmer Recht Kulmer Handfeste; Jus Culmense vetus Prawo chełmińskie was a German legal Constitution In 1236 it was relocated to the present site of the Old Town. In 1263 Franciscan monks settled in the city, followed in 1239 by Dominicans. The term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic The Order of Preachers ( Latin: Ordo Praedicatorum) after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is In 1264 the nearby New Town was founded. In 1280, the city (actually both cities) joined the mercantile Hanseatic League soon turned into an important medieval trade centre. The Hanseatic League (also known as the Hansa) was an alliance of trading cities and their Guilds that established and maintained trade

The First Peace of Thorn ending the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War (1409-1411) was signed in the city in February 1411. The (First Peace of Thorn (1411 was like the Second Peace of Thorn (1466, a Peace treaty between allied Poland and Lithuania fom In 1440 the gentry of Thorn formed the Prussian Confederation and rose with the Confederation against the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights in 1454. The Prussian Confederation (Preußischer Bund or Bund vor Gewalt; Związek Pruski was an organization formed in 1440 by a group of 53 gentry and clergy and 19 cities in The monastic state of the Teutonic Knights (Deutschordensland sometimes known in English by the German term Ordensstaat (ˈɔːdn̩ˌʃtɑːt or "Order-State" Also, after almost 200 years of coexistence, New and Old Town amalgamated in 1454. The resulting Thirteen Years' War ended in 1466 with the Second Peace of Thorn, in which the Teutonic Order ceded their control over western Prussia (Royal Prussia). The Thirteen Years' War was also the name of an Austrian-Ottoman War Thirteen Years War in Hungary The Thirteen Years' War (Dreizehnjähriger Krieg Wojna trzynastoletnia The Second Peace of Thorn of 1466 (Zweiter Friede von Thorn Drugi Pokój Toruński was a Peace treaty signed in the Hanseatic city of Thorn (Toruń on Royal Prussia ( Prusy Królewskie was a province of the Kingdom of Poland from 1466 and then the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1772 Thorn/Toruń became an autonomous subject under the protectorate of the Kingdom of Poland. The Jagiellon Era 1385&ndash1569 was dominated by the union of Poland with Lithuania under the Jagiellon Dynasty, founded by the Lithuanian grand duke

The city adopted Protestantism in 1557 during the Protestant Reformation, while most Polish cities remained Roman Catholic. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time During the time of the mayor Heinrich Stroband (1586-1609), the city became centralised and its administrative power went into the hands of the city council. In 1595, Jesuits arrived in order to promote the Counter-Reformation, taking control of the Church of St. The Society of Jesus ( Latin: Societas Iesu, SJ and SI or SJ, SI) is a Catholic religious order The Counter-Reformation (also Catholic Reformation denotes the period of Catholic revival from the pontificate of Pope Pius IV in 1560 to the close of the John. Protestant city officials tried to limit the influx of the Catholic population into the city, as Catholics (Jesuits and Dominican Order monks) already controlled most churches, leaving only St. The Order of Preachers ( Latin: Ordo Praedicatorum) after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is Mary to the Protestant citizens.

In 1677, the Prussian historian and educator Christoph Hartknoch was invited to be director of the Thorner Gymnasium, a post which he held until his death in 1687. Christoph Hartknoch (1644 &ndash 1687 was a Prussian Historian and Educator. A gymnasium (pronounced with ɡ- in several languages is a type of school providing Secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar Hartknoch wrote histories of Prussia, including the cities of Royal Prussia. Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state Royal Prussia ( Prusy Królewskie was a province of the Kingdom of Poland from 1466 and then the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1772

City Hall — Ratusz (Rathaus).
City Hall — Ratusz (Rathaus). A city hall or town hall is the chief administrative building of a City or Town 's administration and usually houses the city or Rathaus is a German word literally translating as "council house" often rendered as "city hall" or "town hall".

In the second half of the 17th century, tensions between Catholics and Protestants grew leading to events known as the Tumult of Thorn. The Tumult of Thorn (Toruń (Tumult toruński also called Blood-Bath of Thorn (Thorner Blutgericht refers to executions ordered in 1724 by the Polish supreme In 1793 the city was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia following the Second Partition of Poland. The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the In 1807, the city became part of the Duchy of Warsaw created by Napoleon and ruled by King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, although Prussia took it over again upon Napoleon's defeat in 1814. The Duchy of Warsaw (Księstwo Warszawskie Duché de Varsovie Herzogtum Warschau Варшавское герцогство was a Polish state established by Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. For the king of Poland see Augustus I of Poland Frederick Augustus I (full name Frederick Augustus Joseph Maria Anton Johann Nepomuk Aloys Xavier) (Friedrich The Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen ˈzaksən Swobodny Stat Sakska is the easternmost federal state of Germany. In 1870, French prisoners of war taken during the Franco-Prussian War built a chain of forts surrounding the town. Legal residents and citizens To be French according to the first article of the Constitution is to be a citizen of France regardless of one's origin race or religion ( The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War ( 19 July, 1870 — 10 May, 1871 Toruń Fortress (Festung Thorn built in 1872-94 by Kingdom of Prussia, located in Toruń (now in Poland) is one of the largest fortresses in In the following year, the city, along with the rest of Prussia, became part of the new German Empire. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification During this period it became one of centers of resistance to Germanisation and Kulturkampf by Poles, who established a Polish-language newspaper called "Gazeta Toruńska"[2]. Germanisation (also spelled Germanization) is either the spread of the German language, people and culture either by force or Assimilation The German term (literally "culture struggle" refers to German policies in relation to Secularity and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, enacted In 1875 a Polish Science Society was established and in 1884 a secret organisation dedicated to restoration of Poland[2].

According to the Treaty of Versailles signed after World War I in 1919, it was part of the Polish Corridor assigned to Poland. The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Background Giving Poland access to the sea was one of the guarantees proposed by the United States President Woodrow Wilson in his Fourteen The Second Polish Republic or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. Only now officially Toruń, it became the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, even though it was not situated in Pomerania proper. Pomeranian Voivodeship (also known as Pomerania Province or by its Polish name of województwo pomorskie {{IPA-pl|p|o|'|m|o|r|s|k|j|e}} or simply Pomorskie In 1925 the Baltic Institute was established in the city, with the task of documenting Polish heritage in Pomerania. In general, the interwar period was a time of significant urban development in Toruń. Major investments were completed in areas like transportation (new streets, tramway lines and the Piłsudski Bridge), residential constructions (many new houses, particularly in Bydgoskie Przedmieście) and public buildings.

The city was annexed by Nazi Germany after the Invasion of Poland in 1939 and administered as part of Danzig-West Prussia. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied The province Danzig-West Prussia (Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreussen was a German administrative sub-division unit ( Reichsgau) created in 1939 by the Nazis from the During World War II, the chain of forts were used by the Germans as POW camps, collectively known as Stalag XX-A. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Stalag XX-A was a German World War II PoW Camp located in Thorn/Toruń, Poland. The city, quite fortunate to avoid significant destruction during the war, was liberated from the Nazis in 1945 by the Soviet Red Army and returned to Polish administration by the Potsdam Conference. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, Germany, from July 16, The remaining German population was expelled to West Germany between 1945 and 1947. The expulsion of Germans after World War II was the Forced migration and Ethnic cleansing of German nationals ( Reichsdeutsche) and ethnic

City walls and Leaning Tower.
City walls and Leaning Tower.

After World War II, the population increased more than twofold and industry developed significantly. However, one of the most important events of the post-war era was the founding of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in 1945. Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu UMK is one of the most respected universities in Poland. Over the years, it has become one of the best universities in Poland. Its existence has influenced the life of the city enormously, as well as its perception by non-locals.

Since 1989, when local and regional self-government was gradually reintroduced and the market economy set in, Toruń, like other cities in Poland, has undergone deep social and econonomic transformation. There is some debate among locals as to whether this time has been really spent as successfully as it should have been, but the fact is that Toruń has recently reclaimed its strong position as a regional leader, together with Bydgoszcz. Bydgoszcz (Bromberg Bydgostia is a city in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers with

Etymology

Early documents record the city's name as Thorun (1226, 1466), Turon, Turun, Toron, Thoron and Thorn.

There are several different etymological explanations for the names, and whether an original name was Germanized or Polonized. Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time Germanisation (also spelled Germanization) is either the spread of the German language, people and culture either by force or Assimilation Polonization (polonizacja is the acquisition or imposition

When Toruń became a royal city, subject to the kings of Poland, Latin documents and coins usually spelled it Thorun, Thorunium, civitas Thorunensis, or civitas Torunensis, and after the 15th century, the current Polish name Toruń. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland.

German

Polish

Other

Landmarks


Painting of the city Christoph Hartknoch 1644–87) featured in his book Old and New Prussia
Painting of the city Christoph Hartknoch 1644–87) featured in his book Old and New Prussia
Gothic St George Guildhall in Toruń
Gothic St George Guildhall in Toruń

Listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 1997, Toruń has many monuments of architecture beginning from the Middle Ages, including 200 military structures. Christoph Hartknoch (1644 &ndash 1687 was a Prussian Historian and Educator. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex The city is famous for having preserved almost intact its medieval spatial layout and many Gothic buildings, all built from brick, including monumental churches, the Town Hall and many burgher houses. A brick is a block of Ceramic material used in Masonry construction laid using mortar. The most interesting monuments are:

An important fact is that Toruń, unlike many other historic cities in Poland, avoided significant destruction during World War II. Toruń Fortress (Festung Thorn built in 1872-94 by Kingdom of Prussia, located in Toruń (now in Poland) is one of the largest fortresses in Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Filip Callimachus or Callimach ( Latin Philippus Callimachus Experiens, Filip Kallimach born Filippo Buonaccorsi, Bonacursius In particular, the Old Town was left intact, so all its important monuments of architecture are original ones - not rebuilt after destruction.

Major renovation projects have been undertaken in recent years to improve the condition and external presentation of the Old Town. Besides the renovation of various buildings, projects such as the reconstruction of the pavement of the streets and squares (reversing them to their historical appearance), and the introduction of new plants, trees and objects of 'small architecture', are underway.

The most spectacular, though, is the illumination of the Old Town at night. Numerous buildings and other constructions, including the city walls along the boulevard, are illuminated at night, creating an impressive effect - probably unique among Polish cities with respect to the size of Toruń's Old Town and the scale of the illumination project itself.

Population

View of Torun Old Town Square at dusk
View of Torun Old Town Square at dusk

The most recent statistics show a decrease in the population of the city, to ca. 208,007 at the end of 2006. This is mainly because quite a large number of citizens have been moving to nearby communities, adjacent to the formal administrative area of Toruń, but still outside it. As a result Toruń is surrounded by a belt of densely-populated settlements, whose inhabitants work, shop and entertain in the city proper, but do not officially live there.

In recent years, a discussion has been taking place as to whether or not these surrounding communities should be incorporated into the city's administrative area. This seems rather inevitable in the longer term, though many say Toruń has almost reached the limit of its development within the city's boundary.

Inside the city itself, most of the population is concentrated on the right (northern) bank of the Vistula river. Two of the most densely populated areas are Rubinkowo and Na Skarpie, housing projects built mostly in the 1970s and 80s, recently located between the central and easternmost districts; their total population is about 70,000.

Toruń and Bydgoszcz together make up a bipolar metroplex which, including those cities' counties and a number of smaller towns, may have a population of as much as 800,000. Bydgoszcz (Bromberg Bydgostia is a city in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers with Thus the area contains about one third of the population of the Kuyavia-Pomerania region (which has about 2. 1 million inhabitants).

Some groups of Japanese, Ukrainian and Vietnamese people live in Toruń now. The Japanese diaspora is the largest visible minority in the city, it comes from the management of local manufactures opened in the last years by Japanese companies such as SHARP. Additional to Japanese managers, engineers, translators and their families there are some Japanese language teachers working at the local university and language schools, and people who are married to a Pole and stayed in Toruń.

Transport

The transportation network in the city itself has been a subject of much criticism for years. Although the city is not very large, the underdeveloped street and road network is a source of problems. Even the construction of new wide avenues, both by reconstructing existing streets and by construction of others from scratch, has not been enough. The most serious problem, however, is that only a single car traffic bridge crosses the Vistula river inside the city's boundaries. The construction of beltways, and thus the reduction of the inflow of vehicles into the city, has helped somewhat, but still the existence of only one downtown bridge causes serious transportation difficulties, especially traffic jams. A construction of another bridge, located 4 km east of the existing one, has been prepared in an atmosphere of heated discussions, but due to legal and financial issues it is unclear when it will be built.

The mass transit system is composed of 5 tram lines and about 40 bus lines, covering the city and some of the neighbouring communities.

Toruń is situated at a major road junction, one of the most important in Poland. The A1 highway reaches Toruń, and a southern beltway surrounds the city. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Before adding any more images to this * * page please do carefully consider * * whether they would be mere decoration * * or actually improve Besides these, the European route E75 and a number of domestic roads (numbered 10, 15, and 80) run through the city. The E75 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe.

Three main railway stations (Toruń Główny, Toruń Miasto and Toruń Wschodni)and four railway lines connect Toruń with Bydgoszcz and the smaller towns of the surrounding region, as well as with distant major cities. Bydgoszcz (Bromberg Bydgostia is a city in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers with The connection with Bydgoszcz is run under the name of BiT City, as a "metropolitan rail", its main purpose being to allow traveling between and within these cities for just one ticket. Bydgoszcz (Bromberg Bydgostia is a city in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers with A joint venture of Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Solec Kujawski and the voivodeship, it is considered as important in integrating Bydgoszcz-Toruń metropolitan area. Bydgoszcz (Bromberg Bydgostia is a city in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers with Solec Kujawski (Schulitz is a town with 15505 inhabitants and an area of 176 km² situated 14 kilometres southeast of Bydgoszcz in Poland at. Bydgoszcz-Toruń (Polish aglomeracja bydgosko-toruńska) is the name of the bi-polar agglomeration in the middle of the Vistula river created by 2 cities Bydgoszcz A major modernization of BiT City railroute is planned.

Two bus depots serve to connect the city with other towns and cities in Poland.

As of 2008, a small sport airfield exists in Toruń; however, a modernization of the airport is seriously considered with a number of investors interested in it. Independently of this, Bydgoszcz-Szwederowo airport, located about 50 km from Toruń city center, serves the whole Bydgoszcz-Toruń metropolitan area, with a number of regular flights to European cities. Bydgoszcz-Toruń (Polish aglomeracja bydgosko-toruńska) is the name of the bi-polar agglomeration in the middle of the Vistula river created by 2 cities Bydgoszcz

Economy

Although being a medium-sized city, Toruń is a seat of the headquarters of some companies considered as belonging to largest and most influential in Poland, or at least of their subsidiaries. The official unemployment rate, as of February 2008, is 6. 9%.

In 2006 a construction of new plants owned by Sharp corporation and other companies of mainly Japanese origin has started in neighboring community of Łysomice (about 10 km from city center). The facilities under construction are located in a newly-created special economical area. As a result of cooperation of the beforementioned companies, a vast high-tech complex is to be constructed in next few years' time, providing even as much as 10,000 jobs (prediction for 2010) at the cost of about 450 million euros. As of 2008 creation of another special economic area is considered, this time inside city limits.

Thanks to numerous monuments of architecture Toruń is visited by more than 1. 5 million tourists a year (1. 6 million in 2007). It makes the tourism a quite important branch of local economy, although such things like time spent in the city by individual tourists or number of hotels which can serve them are still considered as not satisfying. Anyway, major investments in renovation of monuments of architecture, building new hotels (including high standard ones), improvement in promotion, as well as launching new cultural and scientific events and facilities, give very good prospects for Toruń's tourism.

In recent years Toruń has been a site of intense building construction investments, mainly residential and in transportation network. It has been partly due to consumption of European Union funds assigned for new member states. Numerous major constructions are either under development or are to be launched soon, value of some of them exceeding 100 million euros. They include a new speedway stadium, major shopping and entertainment centers, commercial complex popularly called a "New Center of Toruń", music theater, center of contemporary art, hotels, facilities for Nicolaus Copernicus University, roads and tram routes, sewage and fresh water delivery systems, residential projects, possibly also the very expected new bridge across Vistula, and others. Construction of A1 motorway and BiT City fast metropolitan railway also directly affect the city.

About 25,000 local firms are registered in Toruń.

Culture

Toruń planetarium.
Toruń planetarium. A planetarium is a Theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about Astronomy and the night sky or for training in Celestial navigation

Toruń has two drama theatres (Teatr im. Wilama Horzycy with three stages and Teatr Wiczy), two children's theatres (Baj Pomorski and Zaczarowany Świat), two music theatres (Mała Rewia, Studencki Teatr Tańca), and numurous other theatre groups. The city hosts, among others, the international theatre festival, "Kontakt", annually in May

The building called Baj Pomorski has recently been completely reconstructed. It is now one of the most modern cultural facilities in the city, with its front elevation in the shape of a gigant chest of drawers. It is located at the southeast edge of the Old Town.

Movies in Toruń can be enjoyed in the city's Cinema City, which has over 2000 seats, and in another five or more public cinemas.

Over ten major museums document the history of Toruń and the region. Among others, the "House of Kopernik" and the accompanying museum commemorate Nicolaus Copernicus and his revolutionary work, the university museum reveals the history of the city's academic past.

Construction of a Center of Contemporary Art (Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej - CSW) begun in summer 2006. It will be opened in June 2008 - although it organises open-air exhibitions even now - and be one of the most important cultural facilities of this kind in Poland. Its modern building is to be located in the very center of the city, adjacent to the Old Town.

The Toruń Symphonic Orchestra (formerly the Toruń Chamber Orchestra) deserves mentioning, as it is well-rooted in the Toruń cultural landscape.

Toruń is equipped with a planetarium (located downtown) and astronomical observatory (located in nearby community of Piwnice). A planetarium is a Theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about Astronomy and the night sky or for training in Celestial navigation The Toruń Centre for Astronomy is an optical and Radio Observatory located at ( near about 15 km north of Toruń, Poland. The latter boasts the largest radiotelescope in the Eastern part of Central Europe with 32 m in diameter, second only to the Effelsberg 100 m radio telescope. A radio telescope is a form of directional Radio antenna used in Radio astronomy and in tracking and collecting data from Satellites Since its inauguration in 1972, the Effelsberg 100-m Radio telescope is one of the world's largest fully steerable telescopes

Toruń is well-known for Toruń gingerbread, a type of pierniki often made in elaborate moulds. Toruń gingerbread (pierniki toruńskie Thorner Lebkuchen is a traditional Polish Gingerbread that has been produced since the Middle Ages in the Gingerbread is a sweet that can take the form of a Cake or a Cookie in which the predominant flavors are ginger and raw Sugar.

Education

Over 30 elementary and primary schools, and over ten high schools make up the educational base of Toruń, and besides these students can also attend a handful of private schools.

The largest institution of higher education in Toruń, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, serves over 40 thousand students and was founded in 1945, based on the Toruń Scientific Society, Stefan Batory University in Wilno, and Jan Kazimierz University in Lvov. Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu UMK is one of the most respected universities in Poland. Vilnius University (Vilniaus Universitetas formerly known as Vilnius State University, earlier - Stefan Batory University and before that Almae Undoubtedly, the existence of a high-ranked and wide-profiled university with many students plays a great role both in keeping the city's position and importance in general, as well as in creating the image of Toruń's streets and clubs filled with crowds of young people. It also has a serious influence on local economy.

Other public institutions of higher education:

There are also a number of private higher education facilities:

Healthcare

Five hospitals of various specializations provide medical service for Toruń itself, its surrounding area and to the region in general. Radio Maryja is a Polish Religious, nationalist, Conservative, anti- post-communists and Pro-life Roman Catholic radio Two largest of these hospitals, recently run by the voivodeship, are to be overtaken by Nicolaus Copernicus University and run as its clinical units. At least one of them is to change its status in 2008, formal procedures being very advanced.

In addition, there is a number of other healthcare facilities in the city.

Media

Sport clubs

Notable residents

Sister cities

Bulwar Filadelfijski (Philadelphia Boulevard), both a 2 km long street running mostly between Vistula River and walls of the Old Town, and the boulevard itself (bearing the same name), honours sister relationship with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Christian Wernicke (January 1661 &ndash 5 September 1725) was a German Epigramist and Diplomat. Julie Wolfthorn ( January 8 1864 &ndash December 29 1944) was a German painter. Aleksander Wolszczan (alɛk'sandɛr 'vɔlʂt͡ʂan) ( Apr 29 1946 in Szczecinek, Poland) is a Polish astronomer. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Göttingen ( ˈgœtɪŋən, Low German: Chöttingen is a College town in Lower Saxony, Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. "Leyden" redirects here For other uses see Leyden (disambiguation. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Hämeenlinna Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Kaliningrad (Калининград is a Seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian Exclave between Poland Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Čadca ( Tschadsa (rare Csaca Czadca is a district town in northern Slovakia, near the border with Poland and the Czech Republic. Slovakia (long form Slovak Republic; Slovak:, long form, is a Landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million Swindon ( is a large town in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in the South West of England, midway between Bristol (64 km / 40 miles The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Novo Mesto (Novo mesto is a town and one of the eleven town municipalities in the Lower Carniola region of the Slovenia. Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern

Ślimak Getyński (Goettingen Helix, German: Goettingen Schnecke) is one of the lanes connecting Piłsudski Bridge / John Paul II Avenue with Philadelphia Boulevard at their downtown interchange. It honours the relationship with Göttingen, its name derived from the street's half-circular shape (Polish word ślimak meaning "snail").

National parliament deputies

2000-2005

MPs elected from Toruń constituency

2005-2007

Recent

European Parliament deputies (recent)

MEPs elected from Kuyavian-Pomeranian constituency

Miscellanea

Depending on the calculation method, the Geographic Center of Europe may be located here. Tadeusz Zwiefka (taˈdɛuʃ ˈzvʲɛfka born December 28, 1954) is a Polish journalist and member of the European Parliament (elected on The location of the geographical centre of Europe depends on the definition of the borders of Europe, mainly whether remote islands are included to define the Extreme

Notes

  1. ^ Hypothetical reconstruction of a Lusatian culture settlement, built using bronze age tools: Wola Radziszowska, Poland, part of study by scientists from the Jagiellonian University’s Institute Of Archaeology. For several academies alternatively called "Krakow Academy" see Education in Kraków The Jagiellonian University (Uniwersytet
  2. ^ a b c Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN Warsaw 1976

External links


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