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The Leaning Tower of Toruń () is a medieval tower in
Toruń Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
, Poland. It is known as a
leaning tower This is a list of leaning towers. A leaning tower is a tower which, either intentionally or unintentionally (due to errors in design, construction, or subsequent external influence such as unstable ground), does not stand perpendicular to the gr ...
because the top of the tower is displaced from where it would be if the tower were perfectly vertical. Located on Pod Krzywą Wieżą street, it is one of the most important landmarks in Toruń's Old Town. As part of the
Medieval Town of Toruń Medieval Town of Toruń () is the oldest historic district of the city of Toruń. It is one of Poland's World Heritage Sites (added in 1997). According to UNESCO, its value lies in its being "a small historic trading city that preserves to a rem ...
it is listed as a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
and a Historic Monument of Poland.


History

The Leaning Tower of Toruń was built in the 13th century in order to defend the town. It was built of red brick. It started leaning because it was built on
loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...
y ground. In the 18th century it ceased to be used for defensive purposes. The tower was then converted into a women's prison. In the 19th century, it housed a
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
's shop and an apartment for a
gunsmith A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms. Gunsmiths do modifications and changes to a firearm that may require a very ...
. At this time, the Gothic
tented roof A tented roof (also known as a pavilion roof) is a type of polygonal hip roof, hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak.W. Dean EastmanHometown Handbook: Architecture./ref> Tented roofs, a hallmark of medieval religious archite ...
was replaced by a
pitched roof Roof pitch is the steepness of a roof expressed as a ratio of inch(es) rise per horizontal foot (or their metric equivalent), or as the angle in degrees its surface deviates from the horizontal. A flat roof has a pitch of zero in either inst ...
. A souvenir shop and a café used to be located in the tower in the 1970s and 80s, and now it houses the Toruń Cultural Department.


Legends

Some legends are associated with the Leaning Tower of Toruń, which are narrated by tour guides to visitors: * The sin of the Teutonic Knight: In the tower, there lived 12 knights of the
Order of Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...
, who were forbidden to meet with women. However, one monk fell in love with the daughter of a rich merchant, and met her in secret, thus breaking the monastic rule of the Order. The residents of the town discovered this and reported them to the commander and the city authorities. Both lovers were fined, the woman was sentenced to 25 lashes, and the knight was ordered to build a tower. However, the tower had to be tilted, in the same way as his conduct had deviated from the monastic rule. To this day, legend has it that those who have sinned are not able to keep their balance under the tower. * Origin of the name of the city: According to another legend, the tower was a friend of the river
Wisła Wisła (; ; ) is a town in Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, with a population of about 11,132 (2019), near the border with the Czech Republic. It is situated in the Silesian Beskids mountain range in the historical region of ...
, and loved listening to interesting stories told by the river. With time, the river started getting closer to the tower and eroding its walls, and the tower started leaning. The tower pleaded with the river to not flow so close to it, because it might fall down, but the river said, "So fall down, then!". The river's cries were heard by wanderers who wondered what was the city with high walls that they could see on the horizon, and they called the city Toruń (which means "So fall down, then!", in
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
).


See also

*
Nicolaus Copernicus Monument, Toruń The Nicolaus Copernicus Monument in the home town of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) was erected in 1853 by a "monument committee" of the city's residents. Original plans King Frederick the Great of Prussia (1712–1786) intended ...


References


External links


Website of the Leaning Tower of Toruń
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leaning Tower of Torun Towers completed in the 13th century Gothic architecture in Toruń Towers in Poland Inclined towers Buildings and structures in Toruń Tourist attractions in Toruń