The Medieval Town of Toruń (known in Polish as "zespół staromiejski Torunia") is the oldest historic area of the city of Toruń. It is one of Poland's World Heritage Sites, added in 1997, and is also listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Poland. UNESCO describes its value as a small historic trading city that has kept much of its original street layout and important old buildings, offering a very clear view of medieval life. The Medieval Town covers an area of 60 hectares and includes a buffer zone of 300 hectares. It is made up of the Toruń Old Town, Toruń New Town, and Toruń Castle.
History
The Medieval Town was built on the site of an older Slavic trading town that existed for about 500 years. It began in the 13th century when the city of Toruń (Thorn) received a town charter from the Teutonic Knights Hermann von Salza and Hermann Balk in 1233. The town originally included the area now called the Toruń Old Town and the Toruń Castle. It became an important center for trade and was one of the key members of the Hanseatic League. As the town grew quickly, the Toruń New Town began to develop in 1264, located to the east of the Old Town and north of the castle.
The Medieval Town is one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments (Pomnik historii), as designated on September 16, 1994. Its listing is kept up by the National Heritage Board of Poland.
Geography and monuments
The Medieval Town of Toruń is made up of three parts: the Toruń Old Town in the west, the Toruń New Town in the east, and the Toruń Castle in the south-east.
The Old Town is surrounded by the Old Town Market Place. Important buildings and landmarks there include the Old Town Hall, Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and parts of the old town wall.
The New Town includes the Church of St. James and the Church of St. Nicholas.
The Toruń Castle is located between the Old Town and New Town near the southern edge of both areas.
UNESCO's World Heritage Site
The World Heritage Committee approved Toruń as a World Heritage Site because it meets two standards. The first standard is that it shows how people shared ideas over time in areas like architecture, technology, art, city planning, or landscape design. The second standard is that it is an important example of a type of building, structure, or landscape that shows a key moment in human history. The committee said Toruń is a valuable example of a small historic trading city that has kept much of its original street layout and early buildings intact. This helps people understand how people lived during the medieval period. The city's layout has remained mostly the same since the Middle Ages, making it a useful resource for studying the history of cities in medieval Europe.