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oruń is one of the most important historic cities in Europe. It is also one of the most beautiful towns in Poland with impresive Gothic towers, walls and donjons reflecting in the wide Vistula river. It has retained much of its medieval atmosphere and in 1997 was included in UNESCO's World Heritage List. There is no other city in northern Poland that could rival Toruń's layout of colourful houses, wonderful monuments and the climate of Old Town streets teeming with tourists. The city is also known for its gingerbread, the tastiest in Poland, Nicolaus Copernicus University , continuing the tradition of Stefan Batory University in Vilno, and the complex of XIX century fortifications encircling the city, a rarity on European scale.The charm and prestige of Torun is created not only by monuments and Copernican tradition, but also by its contemporary citizens. For Torun has been one of the biggest cultural centres in Poland for a long time. Institutions and associations from Toruń organise yearly more than 1500 diverse cultural events. The Town Hall belongs to the most spectacular achievements of medieval urban architecture in Europe. As early as in XIII century, in the Old Town Market of dimensions 109x104 m, the following detached commercial and administrative buildings were erected: cloth halls, bread bakeries, a city scales, a court and a marketplace tower of 23 m in height.The monument of Nicolaus Copernicus stands in the Old Marketplace, in front of the Town Hall. It was created in 1853 on commission from a German Copernicus Society by a sculptor from Berlin, Fryderyk Abraham Tieck. The monument is cast in bronze and represents Copernicus clad in professor's robe holding an armillary sphere in his left hand. There is an inscription in Latin engraved on the granite plinth: "Nicolaus Copernicus, a citizen of Torun, moved the earth and halted the Sun and the sky". Toruń cathedral of saint John the Baptiser and saint John the Evangelist is the oldest gothic church in the Land of Chelmno, the beginnings of which are connected with the moment of granting Torun the City Rights in 1233. The building of the church started shortly after translocation of the city to its present location (1233-1236). At first the choir was built and the main aisle followed. In late XIII century, a three-aisle church, which was lower and narrower than the present church, was built. In XIV and XV century the church was enlarged.The interior is decorated mainly in baroque style. A gothic XIII century font in which Nicolaus Copernicus was baptised can still be found in the church. Saint Jacob church is one of the biggest and most beautiful gothic churches in Poland. It was built in XIV century and was a municipal church for the New Town of Toruń. Its building started in 1309 as certifies a gothic inscription on yellow and green glazed bricks placed around the choir. The church was finished in 1350. Its basilica construction (side aisles are lower than the main aisle) is unique among Toruń's gothic churches. Its construction utilizes supporting arches that transfer the pressure of the roof and ceiling to the supports of side aisles. This church is decorated with numerous pinnacles, blind windows and glazed bricks. The tower is 49 m high, and its double saddle roof comes from the second half of the XV century. The interior was whitewashed in the lutheran period (1557-1667), and partially restored in the 1930s. Equipment mainly comes from the XVIII century - two gothic figures of saint Mary and several medieval crosses from the former dominican church were also preserved.