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Andrzej Person
Andrzej Person is a Polish senator, representing of Platforma Obywatelska.
http://wn.com/Andrzej_Person -
Augustus the Strong
http://wn.com/Augustus_the_Strong -
China
China is seen variously as an ancient civilization extending over a large area in East Asia, a nation and/or a multinational entity.
http://wn.com/China -
Christoph Hartknoch
Christoph Hartknoch (1644–1687) was a Prussian historian and educator.
http://wn.com/Christoph_Hartknoch -
Filip Callimachus
Filip Callimachus or Callimach (Latin: Philippus Callimachus Experiens; ; born Filippo Buonaccorsi, Bonacursius; 2 May 1437 – 1 November 1496) was an Italian humanist and writer.
http://wn.com/Filip_Callimachus -
French people
French people can refer to:
http://wn.com/French_people -
Hermann Balk
:For the World War II general, see Hermann Balck. For the American bishop, see Victor Hermann Balke.
http://wn.com/Hermann_Balk -
Jan Miodek
Jan Miodek (born June 7, 1946, in Tarnowskie Góry, Silesian Voivodeship), Professor of Wroclaw University, is a Polish linguist in the normative tradition.
http://wn.com/Jan_Miodek -
Napoleon I of France
http://wn.com/Napoleon_I_of_France -
Nicholas Copernicus
http://wn.com/Nicholas_Copernicus -
Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus (; ; in his youth, Niclas Koppernigk; ; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance astronomer and the first person to formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology, which displaced the Earth from the center of the universe.
http://wn.com/Nicolaus_Copernicus -
Queen Jadwiga
http://wn.com/Queen_Jadwiga -
Tadeusz Zwiefka
Tadeusz Antoni Zwiefka (, born 28 December 1954 in Tuchola) is a Polish journalist and politician. Since 2004, member of the European Parliament.
http://wn.com/Tadeusz_Zwiefka -
World War I
World War I was a military conflict centered on Europe that began in the summer of 1914. The fighting ended in late 1918. This conflict involved all of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (centred around the Triple Entente) and the Central Powers. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history. More than 9 million combatants were killed, due largely to great technological advances in firepower without corresponding ones in mobility. It was the second deadliest conflict in history.
http://wn.com/World_War_I
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Bydgoszcz
Bydgoszcz (, ) is a city located in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers, with a population of 358,029 (June 2009), agglomeration more than 460 000, which makes it the 8th biggest city in Poland. It has been the co-capital with Toruń of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of the Bydgoszcz Voivodeship (1947–1998) and before that, of the Pomeranian Voivodeship (1945–1947). Since 1999 it is also the seat of Bydgoszcz County.
http://wn.com/Bydgoszcz -
Chełmno
:For the concentration camp located near a village with a similar name, Chełmno nad Nerem, see Chełmno extermination camp. For the village in western Poland, see Chełmno, Szamotuły County.
http://wn.com/Chełmno -
China
China is seen variously as an ancient civilization extending over a large area in East Asia, a nation and/or a multinational entity.
http://wn.com/China -
Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation (differs from the Catholic Reformation or Catholic Revival) denotes the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.
http://wn.com/Counter-Reformation -
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw (; ; ; ) was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony. Following Napoleon's failed invasion of Russia, the duchy was occupied by Prussian and Russian troops until 1815, when it was formally partitioned between the two countries at the Congress of Vienna.
http://wn.com/Duchy_of_Warsaw -
East Germany
The German Democratic Republic (GDR; German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik or DDR), informally called East Germany by the West, was the socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany and in the East Berlin portion of the Allied-occupied capital city. The German Democratic Republic, which consisted geographically of northeast Germany rather than all of eastern Germany, had an area of 107,771 km2. (41,610 mi.2), bordering Czechoslovakia in the south, West Germany (officially: Federal Republic of Germany) in the south and west, the Baltic Sea to the north, and Poland in the east.
http://wn.com/East_Germany -
Finland
Finland (pronounced ), officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden on the west, Norway on the north and Russia on the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.
http://wn.com/Finland -
German Empire
The German Empire (, called by some German historians as Kaiserlich Deutsches Reich or Kaiserreich) refers to Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871 to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of Wilhelm II (28 November 1918). Deutsches Reich remained the official name of Germany throughout the Weimar period and most of the Nazi period until 1943, when it was changed to Großdeutsches Reich ("Great German Empire").
http://wn.com/German_Empire -
Germany
Germany (), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (, ), is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The territory of Germany covers 357.021 km2 and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state of the European Union, and home to the third-largest number of international migrants worldwide.
http://wn.com/Germany -
Grudziądz
Grudziądz (, ) is a city in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 96 042 inhabitants (2010). Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999), the city was previously in the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–1998).
http://wn.com/Grudziądz -
Guilin
Guilin (; Zhuang: Gveilinz) is a prefecture-level city in China, situated in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the west bank of the Li River. Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city. The city has long been renowned for its unique scenery.
http://wn.com/Guilin -
Hämeenlinna
Hämeenlinna () is a city and municipality of about {{Formatnum: inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Häme in the south of Finland and is the birthplace of composer Jean Sibelius. Today, it belongs to the region of Tavastia Proper, and until 2010 it was the residence city for the Governor of the province of Southern Finland. Nearby cities include the capital Helsinki (), Tampere () and Lahti ().
http://wn.com/Hämeenlinna -
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad (; ; , old: Karaliaučius; ) is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. The territory, the northern part of the former East Prussia, borders on NATO and EU members Poland and Lithuania, and is geographically separated from the rest of Russia.
http://wn.com/Kaliningrad -
Lebanon
Lebanon ( or ; ; ), officially the Republic of Lebanon (Arabic: ; French: ), is a country on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Israel to the south. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has dictated its rich history, and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity.
http://wn.com/Lebanon -
Leiden
Leiden ()(in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. Its number of inhabitants is about 118,000. The single urban area it forms together with Oegstgeest, Leiderdorp, Voorschoten, Valkenburg, Rijnsburg and Katwijk, has a number of about 254,000 inhabitants. Leiden is located on the Old Rhine, in a distance of some 20 kilometers from The Hague in its South and some 40 kilometers from Amsterdam in its North. The recreational area of the Kaag Lakes (Kagerplassen) lies just to the northeast of Leiden.
http://wn.com/Leiden -
Lutsk
Lutsk (, translit. ''Luts'k, , , or Луцк, transliterated Lutchak or Lutsk'') is a city located by the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast (province) and the administrative center of the surrounding Lutskyi Raion (district) within the oblast. The city is also designated as its own separate raion within the oblast.
http://wn.com/Lutsk -
Malbork
Malbork (; ; ) is a town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region, with 38,478 inhabitants (2006). Situated in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, it was previously assigned to Elbląg Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Malbork County.
http://wn.com/Malbork -
National Geographic
http://wn.com/National_Geographic -
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, is the common name for the country of Germany while governed by Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) from 1933 to 1945. Third Reich () denotes the Nazi state as a historical successor to the medieval Holy Roman Empire (962–1806) and to the modern German Empire (1871–1918). Nazi Germany had two official names, the Deutsches Reich (German Reich), from 1933 to 1943, when it became Großdeutsches Reich (Greater German Reich).
http://wn.com/Nazi_Germany -
Netherlands
{{Infobox country
http://wn.com/Netherlands -
Olsztyn
Olsztyn (; Old Polish: Holstin; Old Prussian: Alnāsteini; ) is a city in northeastern Poland, on the Łyna River. Olsztyn has been the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. It was previously in the Olsztyn Voivodeship (and in other units in 1945–75 and 1975–98). The city has county status.
http://wn.com/Olsztyn -
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania () is a U.S. state and Commonwealth located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to the east. The state's four most populous cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie. The state capital is Harrisburg.
http://wn.com/Pennsylvania -
Poland
Poland (), officially the Republic of Poland (Rzeczpospolita Polska), is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north. The total area of Poland is , making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. Poland has a population of over 38 million people, which makes it the 34th most populous country in the world and the sixth most populous member of the European Union, being its most populous Slavic member.
http://wn.com/Poland -
Russia
Russia (; ), also officially known as the Russian Federation (), is a state in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk and the United States by the Bering Strait. At , Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than a ninth of the Earth's land area. Russia is also the ninth most populous nation with 142 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning 9 time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources. It has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.
http://wn.com/Russia -
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony ( ; ) is a state of Germany, located in the southeastern part of present-day Germany. It is the tenth-largest German state in area (18,413 km²) and the sixth largest in population (4.3 million), of Germany's sixteen states.
http://wn.com/Saxony -
Sierpc
Sierpc is a town in Poland, in the north-west part of the Masovian Voivodeship, about 125 km northwest of Warsaw. It is the capital of Sierpc County. Its population is 18,777 (2004). It is located near the national road No 10, which connects Warsaw and Toruń. Sierpc is a rail junction, in the town two connections cross - Kutno - Brodnica, as well as Nasielsk - Toruń lines.
http://wn.com/Sierpc -
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic (short form: Slovakia ; Slovak:, long form ) is a state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is a landlocked country bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is the capital, Bratislava, and the second largest is Košice. Slovakia is a member state of the European Union, NATO, United Nations, OECD and WTO among others. The official language is Slovak, a member of the Slavic language family.
http://wn.com/Slovakia -
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (, ), is a country in Central Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy on the west, the Adriatic Sea on the southwest, Croatia on the south and east, Hungary on the northeast, and Austria on the north. The capital and largest city of Slovenia is Ljubljana.
http://wn.com/Slovenia -
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR, , abbreviated СССР, SSSR), informally known as the Soviet Union () or Soviet Russia, was a constitutionally socialist state that existed on the territory of most of the former Russian Empire in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991.
http://wn.com/Soviet_Union -
Swindon
Swindon () is a large town within the borough of Swindon and county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east. In the 2001 census, the population of the Swindon urban area was 155,432, while the wider borough of Swindon had a population of 184,000.
http://wn.com/Swindon -
Tarnów
Tarnów (, , , Turna) is a city in southeastern Poland with 115,341 inhabitants (metro area 312,000 inhabitants) as of June 2009.
http://wn.com/Tarnów -
Third Reich
http://wn.com/Third_Reich -
Toron
Toron, now Tibnin or Tebnine in southern Lebanon, was a major Crusader castle, built in the Lebanon mountains on the road from Tyre to Damascus.
http://wn.com/Toron -
Ukraine
Ukraine ( ; , transliterated: , ), with its area of 603,628 km2, is the second largest country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by the Russian Federation to the east and northeast, Belarus to the northwest, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south and southeast respectively.
http://wn.com/Ukraine -
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a country and sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island nation, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border with another sovereign state, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. Great Britain is linked to continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel.
http://wn.com/United_Kingdom -
United States
The United States of America (also referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and Pacific.
http://wn.com/United_States -
University of Gdańsk
University of Gdańsk is a university in Gdańsk, Poland.
http://wn.com/University_of_Gdańsk -
Vistula
The Vistula (; ), is the longest and one of the most important rivers in Poland at 1,047 km (651 miles) in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is 194,424 km² (75,067 square miles), of which 168,699 km² (65,135 sq. miles) lies within Poland (covering over half the area of the country).
http://wn.com/Vistula -
Vistula River
http://wn.com/Vistula_River -
Warszawa
http://wn.com/Warszawa -
Wrocław
Wrocław () is the chief city in south-western Poland, situated on the River Oder (). Wrocław is the capital of Silesia and, also of Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Over the centuries, the city has been either part of Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia or Germany. According to official population figures for June 2009, its population is 632,240, making it the fourth largest city in Poland.
http://wn.com/Wrocław -
Włocławek
Włocławek ( from 1939–44) is a town in northern Poland on the Vistula (Wisła) and Zgłowiączka rivers, with a population of 117,785 (June 2009). It is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and until 1999 was the capital of Włocławek Voivodeship.
http://wn.com/Włocławek -
Łysomice
http://wn.com/Łysomice
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TORU
Album releases
Toru S.
Album releases
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:29
- Published: 25 Jan 2009
- Uploaded: 24 May 2011
- Author: puroresusuki
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:04
- Published: 15 Jan 2010
- Uploaded: 01 Nov 2011
- Author: draculauploader
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:03
- Published: 12 Feb 2009
- Uploaded: 24 Oct 2011
- Author: AnotherGeneric
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:11
- Published: 02 Jul 2006
- Uploaded: 25 Oct 2011
- Author: koseikubota
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:35
- Published: 18 Jul 2010
- Uploaded: 13 Oct 2011
- Author: ChannelExtreme
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:51
- Published: 22 Feb 2009
- Uploaded: 04 Nov 2011
- Author: AdrianTepes21
- Andrzej Person
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- Chełmińskie (Toruń)
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- Christoph Hartknoch
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- Counter-Reformation
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- Danzig-West Prussia
- Dominican Order
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- East Germany
- Effelsberg
- European route E75
- Filip Callimachus
- Finland
- Forbes
- Franciscan
- Franco-Prussian War
- French people
- Gazeta Pomorska
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- German Empire
- Germanization
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- Great Northern War
- Grudziądz
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- Guilin
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- highway
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- Jesuits
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- Kingdom of Prussia
- KS Toruń
- Kulm law
- Kulmer Handfeste
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| Name | Toruń |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Durabo" () |
| Image shield | POL Toruń COA.svg |
| Pushpin map | Poland |
| Pushpin label position | bottom |
| Coordinates region | PL |
| Subdivision type | Country |
| Subdivision name | |
| Subdivision type1 | Voivodeship |
| Subdivision name1 | Kuyavian-Pomeranian |
| Subdivision type2 | County |
| Subdivision name2 | city county |
| Leader title | Mayor |
| Leader name | Michał Zaleski |
| Established title | Established |
| Established date | 13th century |
| Established title3 | City rights |
| Established date3 | 1233 |
| Area total km2 | 115.72 |
| Population as of | 2009 |
| Population total | 205934 |
| Population density km2 | auto |
| Population metro | 297646 |
| Timezone | CET |
| Utc offset | +1 |
| Timezone dst | CEST |
| Utc offset dst | +2 |
| Elevation m | 30 |
| Postal code type | Postal code |
| Postal code | 87-100 to 87-120 |
| Area code | +48 56 |
| Website | http://www.torun.pl/ |
| Blank name | Car plates |
| Blank info | CT }} |
Toruń (, , , see also: other names) is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
In 1997 the medieval part of the city was designated a UNESCO's World Heritage Site. In 2007 the Old Town in Toruń was added to the list of Seven Wonders of Poland. National Geographic Polska rated the old town market and the Gothic town hall as one of the "30 Most Beautiful Places in the World." In 2010 Forbes magazine ranked Toruń as number one of the "Polish Cities Attractive for Business". In 2009 it was listed as one of the "Best Cities to Live in Poland", in a ranking published by Przekrój.
Previously it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–98) and the Pomeranian Voivodeship (1921–45). Since 1999, Toruń has been a seat of the self-government of the Kujawy-Pomerania Province and, as such, is one of its two capitals (together with Bydgoszcz). The cities and neighboring counties form the Bydgoszcz-Toruń bi-polar metropolitan area. In September 2004, Bydgoszcz Medical School joined Toruń's Nicolaus Copernicus University as its Collegium Medicum.
History
The first settlement in the vicinity is dated by archaeologists to 1100 BC (Lusatian culture). During early medieval times, in the 7th-13th centuries, it was the putative location of an old Polish settlement, at a ford in the Vistula river.The city itself, however was founded when the Teutonic Knights built a castle the area of the former Slavonic settlement in the years 1230-31. On 28 December 1233, the Teutonic Knights Hermann von Salza and Hermann Balk signed the foundation charters for Thorn and Chełmno. Named after the city where the signing took place, the original document (lost in 1244) granting the city rights was called Kulmer Handfeste. The set of rights in general is known as Kulm law. In 1236, due to frequent flooding, it was relocated to the present site of the Old Town. In 1263 Franciscan monks settled in the city, followed in 1239 by Dominicans. In 1264 the nearby New Town was founded. In 1280, the city (or as it was then, both cities) joined the mercantile Hanseatic League, and thus became an important medieval trade centre.
The First Peace of Thorn ending the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War was signed in the city in February 1411. In 1440, the gentry of Thorn formed the Prussian Confederation, and in 1454 rose with the Confederation against the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights in the Thirteen Years' War. After almost 200 years, New and Old Town amalgamated in 1454. The Poles destroyed the Teutonic castle. The Thirteen Years' War ended in 1466 with the Second Peace of Thorn, in which the Teutonic Order ceded their control over western provinces, henceforth Royal Prussia. Toruń became part of Kingdom of Poland.
In 1557, during the Protestant Reformation, the city adopted Protestantism, while most Polish cities remained Roman Catholic. Under Mayor Heinrich Stroband (1586–1609), the city became centralized. Administrative power passed into the hands of the city council. In 1595 Jesuits arrived to promote the Counter-Reformation, taking control of St. John's Church. The Protestant city officials tried to limit the influx of Catholics into the city, as Catholics (Jesuits and Dominican monks) already controlled most of the churches, leaving only St. Mary's to Protestant citizens.
In 1677 the Prussian historian and educator Christoph Hartknoch was invited to be director of the Thorn Gymnasium, a post which he held until his death in 1687. Hartknoch wrote histories of Prussia, including the cities of Royal Prussia.
During the Great Northern War (1700–21), the restoration of Augustus the Strong as King of Poland was prepared in the town by Russian Tsar Peter the Great. In the second half of the 17th century, tensions between Catholics and Protestants grew, similarly to religious wars throughout Europe. In the early 18th century about 50 percent of the populace, especially the gentry and middle class, were German-speaking Protestants. Their influence was subsequently pushed back after the Tumult of Thorn of 1724.
In 1793 the Kingdom of Prussia annexed the city following the Second Partition of Poland. In 1807 Napoleon conquered part of the territory and made the city part of the Duchy of Warsaw. It was ruled by King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, but Prussia regained control after Napoleon's defeat in 1814. In 1870 French prisoners of war taken during the Franco-Prussian War were directed to build a chain of forts surrounding the town. The following year the city, along with the rest of Prussia, became part of the new German Empire.
Toruń was part of the area subject to Prussian and later German attempts to Germanise the province. Toruń became a center of resistance to Germanization and Kulturkampf by Poles, who established a Polish-language newspaper, Gazeta Toruńska. In 1875 a Polish Scientific Society was established, and in 1884 a secret organization dedicated to the restoration of Poland. According to the Treaty of Versailles following World War I in 1919, Toruń was part of the Polish Corridor assigned to Poland. It became the capital of the then-Pomeranian Voivodeship. The local populace had to acquire Polish citizenship or leave the country. This led to a significant decline of ethnic Germans, whose number within the town decreased from 30,509 in 1910 to 2,255 in 1926 and further to 2,057 in 1934. In 1925, the Baltic Institute was established in the city, and worked on documenting Polish heritage and history in Pomerania. In general, the interwar period was a time of significant urban development in Toruń. Major investments were completed in areas such as transportation (new streets, tramway lines and the Piłsudski Bridge), residential development (many new houses, particularly in Bydgoskie Przedmieście) and public buildings. Nazi Germany annexed the city after the Invasion of Poland in 1939, and administered it as part of Danzig-West Prussia.Poles and Jews were classified as untermenschen by German authorities, with their fate being slavery and extermination. During World War II, the Germans used the chain of forts as POW camps, known collectively as Stalag XX-A. The city escaped significant destruction during the war. In 1945 it was taken by the Soviet Red Army. As before the war, it was returned to Poland. The remaining ethnic German population was expelled, primarily to East Germany, between 1945 and 1947.
After World War II, the population increased more than twofold and industry developed significantly. The founding of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in 1945 was significant. Over the years, it has become one of the best universities in Poland. The university has strongly influenced the intellectual, artistic and cultural life of the city, as well as its perception by non-locals. The university was founded by Polish professors formerly associated with the University of Wilno. After the war, they were forced to move to post-1945 Poland.
Since 1989, when local and regional self-government was gradually reintroduced and the market economy was introduced, Toruń, like other cities in Poland, has undergone deep social and economic transformations. Locals debate whether the changes have been as successful as they had hoped for, but Toruń has recently reclaimed its strong position as a regional leader, together with Bydgoszcz.
Etymology
Early documents record the city's name as Thorun (1226, 1466), Turon, Turun, Toron, Thoron and Thorn.Toruń was 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.
Polish
Other
Sights
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. 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. The most interesting monuments are:
Toruń, unlike many other historic cities in Poland, escaped substantial destruction in World War II. Particularly left intact was the Old Town, all of whose important architectural monuments are originals, not reconstructions.
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.
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
The most recent statistics show a decrease in the population of the city, to 205,934 in the middle of 2009. 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, 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. 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 stems from the management of businesses opened in recent years by Japanese companies such as Sharp. In additional to Japanese managers, engineers, translators, and their families; there are Japanese language teachers working at the local university and language schools, and people who have married locals and stayed in Toruń.
Transport
The transportation network in the city itself has been a subject of much criticism for years. Although the city proper is not very large, the underdeveloped street and road network is a source of problems. It has to deal not only with a traffic generated by Toruń itself, but also with heavy transit and metropolitan traffic. 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 significantly, but still the existence of only one downtown bridge causes serious transportation difficulties, especially traffic jams. The construction of another bridge, located east of the existing one, has been prepared and was to start in 2009, and most of the necessary funds were to be secured by the end of 2008. Yet, political rivalries and technical difficulties prevented constructions to go on as planned. As of July 2010, the new bridge was still lagging in a planning stage.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. Besides these, the European route E75 and a number of domestic roads (numbered 10, 15, and 80) run through the city.
With three main railway stations (Toruń Główny, Toruń Miasto and Toruń Wschodni), the city is a major rail junction, with two important lines crossing there (Warszawa–Bydgoszcz and Wrocław–Olsztyn). Two other lines stem from Toruń, toward Malbork and Sierpc.
The rail connection with Bydgoszcz is run under a name "BiT City" as a "metropolitan rail". Its main purpose is to allow traveling between and within these cities using one ticket. A joint venture of Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Solec Kujawski and the voivodeship, it is considered as important in integrating Bydgoszcz-Toruń metropolitan area. A major modernization of BiT City railroute, as well as a purchase of completely new vehicles to serve the line, is planned for 2008 and 2009. Technically, it will allow to travel between Toruń-East and Bydgoszcz-Airport stations at a speed of 120 km/h in a time of approximately half an hour. In a few years' time "BiT City" will be integrated with local transportation systems of Toruń and Bydgoszcz, thus creating a uniform metropolitan transportation network - with all necessary funds having been secured in 2008.
Since September 2008, the "one-ticket" solution has been introduced also as regards a rail connection with Włocławek, as a "regional ticket". The same is planned for connection with Grudziądz.
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.
Economy
| Whs | Medieval Town of Toruń |
|---|---|
| State party | Poland |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iv |
| Id | 835 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Year | 1997 |
| Session | 21st |
| Link | http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/835 }} |
In 2006, construction of new plants owned by Sharp Corporation and other companies of mainly Japanese origin has started in the neighboring community of Łysomice (about 10 km from city center). The facilities under construction are located in a newly-created special economic zone. As a result of cooperation of the companies mentioned above, a vast high-tech complex is to be constructed in the next few years, providing as many as 10,000 jobs (a prediction for 2010) at the cost of about 450 million euros. As of 2008, the creation of another special economic zone is being considered, this time inside city limits.
Thanks to its architectural heritage Toruń is visited by more than 1.5 million tourists a year (1.6 million in 2007). This makes tourism an important branch of the local economy, although time spent in the city by individual tourists or the number of hotels which can serve them are still not considered satisfactory. Major investments in renovation of the city's monuments, 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 its transportation network. The latter has been possible partly due to the use of European Union funds assigned for new member states. Toruń city county generates by far the highest number of new dwellings built each year among all Kuyavian-Pomeranian counties, both relative to its population as well as in absolute values. It has led to almost complete rebuilding of some districts. As of 2008, many major constructions are either under development or are to be launched soon - the value of some of them exceeding 100 million euros. They include a new speedway stadium, major shopping and entertainment centers, a commercial complex popularly called a "New Center of Toruń", a music theater, a center of contemporary art, hotels, office buildings, facilities for the Nicolaus Copernicus University, roads and tram routes, sewage and fresh water delivery systems, residential projects, the possibility of a new bridge over the Vistula, and more. Construction of the A1 motorway and the BiT City fast metropolitan railway also directly affects the city.
About 25,000 local firms are registered in Toruń.
Culture
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 numerous other theatre groups. The city hosts, among others events, the international theatre festival, "Kontakt", annually in May
A 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 gigantic chest of drawers. It is located at the south-east edge of the Old Town.
Toruń has a number (2) of cinemas including a Cinema City, which has over 2,000 seats.
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.
The Center of Contemporary Art (Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej - CSW) opened in June 2008 and is one of the most important cultural facilities of this kind in Poland. The modern building is located in the very center of the city, adjacent to the Old Town.
The Toruń Symphonic Orchestra (formerly the Toruń Chamber Orchestra) is well-rooted in the Toruń cultural landscape.
Toruń is equipped with a planetarium (located downtown) and an astronomical observatory (located in nearby community of Piwnice). The latter boasts the largest radio telescope in the Eastern part of Central Europe with a diameter of , second only to the Effelsberg radio telescope.
Toruń is well known for Toruń gingerbread, a type of pierniki often made in elaborate moulds.
Education
Over thirty elementary and primary schools and over ten high schools make up the educational base of Toruń. 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. The existence of a high-ranked and high-profiled university with so many students plays a great role the city's position and importance in general, as well as in creating an 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
Six hospitals of various specializations provide medical service for Toruń itself, its surrounding area and to the region in general. The two largest of these hospitals, recently run by the voivodeship, are to be taken over by Nicolaus Copernicus University and run as its clinical units. At least one of them is to change its status in 2008, with the formal procedures being very advanced.In addition, there are a number of other healthcare facilities in the city.
Media
Sports clubs
Notable residents
International relations
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.
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").
Twin towns — Sister cities
Toruń is twinned with:| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania>Philadelphia, United States, since 1977 | * Göttingen, Germany, since 1978 | * Leiden, Netherlands, since 1988 | * Hämeenlinna, Finland, since 1989 | Kaliningrad, Russia>Russian Federation, since 1995 | Čadca, Slovakia, since 1996 | * Swindon, United Kingdom, since 2003 | * Novo Mesto, Slovenia, since 2005 | * Lutsk, Ukraine, since 2008 | * Guilin, China, since 2010 |
National senators
European deputies
Current Member of the European Parliament (MEP) elected from the Kuyavian-Pomeranian constituency:
Miscellanea
Districts
Gallery
Notes
External links
Category:World Heritage Sites in Poland Category:City counties of Poland Category:Cities and towns in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Category:History of Germany by location Category:Castles of the Teutonic Knights
af:Toruń ar:تورون be:Горад Торунь be-x-old:Торунь bg:Торун ca:Toruń cs:Toruň da:Toruń de:Toruń et:Toruń el:Τορούν es:Toruń eo:Toruń eu:Toruń fa:ترونی fr:Toruń ko:토룬 hsb:Toruń hr:Toruń io:Toruń id:Toruń it:Toruń he:טורון jv:Toruń ka:ტორუნი la:Thorunium lv:Toruņa lt:Torunė hu:Toruń ms:Torun na:Toruń nl:Toruń ja:トルン nap:Toruń no:Toruń nn:Toruń pnb:تورون nds:Thorn pl:Toruń pt:Toruń ro:Toruń ru:Торунь simple:Toruń sk:Toruň sl:Torunj szl:Torůń ckb:تۆرون sr:Торуњ fi:Toruń sv:Toruń roa-tara:Toruń th:ทอรูน tr:Toruń uk:Торунь vi:Toruń vo:Toruń war:Toruń zh:托伦This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
