Torun, Poland - Copernicus and Gingerbread

Our next stop in Poland was the city of Torun. 

We had a cute and quirky Airbnb that was walking distance to the historic old town. When I say quirky, I mean six flights of stairs with no elevator, one shower that was the perfect size for Lucy, and the angles in the ceilings made for very careful movements. The kids LOVED it! 

The adults LOVED the bakery just across the street.

Torun is most famous as the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, the Polish astronomer who first proposed that the Sun, not the Earth, is at the center of the universe. 

So we made a quick stop at the “House of Nicolas Copernicus”, which was both a science and history museum. 

We also explored the pretty town a bit. 

The Teutonic Knights officially founded Torun. We had just learned about them at the Marbork Castle, so it was fun to make the connection. We saw the ruins of their castle, which had been destroyed by the medieval townsfolk.

The Teutonic Knights also built St. Jacob's church. This was not destroyed by the townspeople.

This church had some of the most interesting art I've ever seen in a church. It could have been straight out of a game of "Dixit."

But the highlight of our visit to Torun was going to “The Living Museum of Gingerbread.”

Here we learned about the “piernik torunski” or the famous “Torun Gingerbread” with recipes dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a regional specialty, and significant to the Polish culture, both for its unique taste and also for the icing work. 

This experience was part theater, part cooking demo, part art class and a lot of fun! 

We even got a special gingerbread cookie made. 

This was a really full day and a pleasant visit to Torun, but if you would ask their kids what their favorite thing they did here, they would say, “running through the fountain.” 

Sigh.