Torun: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Toruń was kickstarted into prominence in 1233, when the Teutonic Knights transformed the existing 11th century Slav settlement into one of their early outposts. The knights surrounded the town, then known as Thorn, with walls and a castle. Rapid expansion as a port meant that newly arriving merchants and craftspeople had to settle outside the city walls and soon built what became known as the New Town. In the 1280s Toruń joined the Hanseatic League, giving further impetus to its development.

Toruń later became a focal point of the conflict between Poland and the Teutonic Order, and when the Thirteen Years' War finally ended in 1466, the Treaty of Toruń returned a large area of land to Poland, stretching from Toruń to Gdańsk.

The following period of prosperity ended with the Swedish wars, and the city fell under Prussian domination in 1793, later becoming part of Germany.

Modern History

The city didn't return to Poland until the nation was recreated after WWI. After WWII, which fortunately did relatively little damage to the city, Toruń expanded significantly, with vast new suburbs and industries. Luckily, the medieval quarter was unaffected and largely retains its old appearance. In 1997 Toruń's Old Town was added to the Unesco World Heritage List.

Recent History

Torun's rich collection of well-preserved historical monuments has surely contributed to the growth of tourism in the city, now a key industry. Also drawing visitors to Torun is northern Poland's biggest university, Nicolas Copernicus University (NCU). Founded in 1945, it now has some 40,000 students, and has helped to establish Torun as an important research and cultural centre.

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