You will experience the Toruń Old City Town Hall which is one of the largest and most magnificent Gothic town halls in Europe. It is a true monument to the splendour of Toruń, a former Hanseatic League trading emporium. It was built in the late 14th century, during the peak of Toruń's medieval Old Town's development.
A visit to the Town Hall is an insight into the history and art of the once great city of Toruń: the Town Hall and its exhibitions tell the entire storey of Toruń.
Today, the Town Hall houses a museum, where, in addition to its interiors, you can explore and admire several permanent exhibitions, including collections of Gothic art (sculptures, paintings, a unique collection of magnificent stained glass, and more), Toruń artistic crafts (including gingerbread moulds and inlays), Toruń coins, paintings (including a large painting depicting the conclusion of the Second Peace of Toruń), and goldsmithery (including the famous Skrwilno Treasure and other treasures). The Royal Hall, commemorated since 1454 by the stay of almost all Polish kings and the death of one of them, John Albert, houses the oldest collection of Polish kings, while the Great Hall houses an excellent gallery of portraits of Toruń's patricians from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
The programme includes:
The Cloth Hall: History and Artistic Crafts of Toruń 1233 - 1793. The Scales Room. The Bread Benches: Gallery of Gothic Art. The Great Hall: Toruń Burgher Portrait. The Hall in Front of the Royal Hall and Royal Hall: Collection of Polish Kings. The Great Chancellery: Sacred Art of Early Modern Toruń. The Small Chancellery: Treaty of Toruń. The Chamber of Both Courts. The Veta Room. The Treasure of Skrwilno.
Our guide will explain the unique features of Toruń's Town Hall compared to other European town halls. He will discuss the significance of Toruń's Town Hall for the development of European Gothic architecture and its unique role in the life of the ancient city. He will also highlight important historical events that took place at Toruń's Town Hall.
