The Toruń District surrounds the City of Toruń, which makes it look like a donut. Contrary to what their names imply, both the district and the city remain separate administrative units.
The District consists of one Town - Chełmża and 8 landed administrative units called communes.
It is unquestionably the City of Toruń that is the focal point of the whole region. Listed on Unesco Heritage List, this hometown of Nicolaus Copernicus, is one of Poland’s most powerful tourist magnets. For more information go to
www.torun.wlan.pl/html40en/index.php.
One of Toruń’s indisputable advantages is the beautiful framing offered by the Toruń District. Its natural beauty offers a quiet retreat mostly to the city’s inhabitants, but also itself draws many tourists and guests every year. The Toruń District’s most important asset is its natural environment. Clean, beautiful lakes, rivers and forests offer many great recreational opportunities.
The District features many attractions for visitors of every age. There are several certain must-sees and a lot of places that are just pleasure to visit.
You cannot miss the beautiful medieval town of Chełmża with its impressive gothic cathedral – one of the biggest in northern Poland, many old churches and gothic gates. All these monuments remind us of the times when Chełmza was a residence of Bishop of the Chełmińska Land. For more information on Chełmza’s history, please, refer to the History section.
Another must-see attraction is the radio-telescope in Piwnice (Łysomice commune). It is the third largest of its type in Europe and is one of the continent’s most powerful. The Piwnice radio-telescope is a national facility. It serves not only an important scientific purpose, but is a very spectacular sight in itself. To find out more about the Department of Radio Astronomy of the Nicolaus Copernicus University and the telescope go to www.astro.uni.torun.pl.
The District also features many national natural environmental reserves, including one of the oldest in Poland - founded in 1924, a 37-hectare Piwnicki Forest situated in the commune of Lysomice. Its old, beautiful trees are home to many rare species of plants and animals
Obligatory destinations for all history lovers are the two Teutonic castles. There is the well maintained and partly reconstructed castle in Bierzgłowo, which hosts a nice, affordable hotel, and there is an interesting set of ruins in Złotoria.
As many noblemen lived here in the past, our District still features many mansions, palace gardens and parks. Some of them are truly worth visiting, like those in Pluskowęsy and in Skłudzewo.
For more information on natural and historic sights, please view the History and Get close to nature sections. There are also brochures and information available on Toruń and its vicinity under www.it.torun.pl/index_ang.html. If you need further assistance planning your trip, please feel free to contact us. We will be happy to welcome you here!
©2004 by Starostwo Powiatowe w Toruniu. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.