Discover green parks, riverside paths, and industrial gems beyond the UNESCO-listed Old Town – all by e-bike!
Tour highlights:
- Hidden, lesser-known neighborhoods
- Eco-friendly, zero-emission travel
- Routes suited to all fitness levels
- Stories of local nature, architecture, and history
Hop on an e-bike and see a different face of Toruń!
Routes
Jewish Toruń
This route is not just a tour of historical sites, but above all a journey into a past deeply intertwined with the city itself. It offers the opportunity to better understand the cultural richness, traditions, and everyday life of Toruń’s Jewish community, while revealing layers of history filled with both proud moments and difficult experiences. Traveling this path by bike becomes a form of remembrance and a way to preserve a heritage that still lives on in the walls, streets, and memories of Toruń.
We begin a unique cycling journey through Toruń – tracing the places connected with the history of the city’s Jewish community. This alternative route explores lesser-known corners of the city, full of curiosities, stories, and traces of Jewish life in Toruń.
We start at the New Town’s Market Square, at the building of the former Fortress Command, where you’ll find the only preserved Star of David in Toruń, set in a stained glass window.
Next, we head to Łazienna Street 14, the site of the former ritual bathhouse (mikveh). Dating back to the 19th century, the building retains classical architectural elements and is closely tied to the lives of the Lewin and Kalischer families, whose stories are inseparable from this place.
We ride on toward Szczytna Street 10, the location of the Great Synagogue, destroyed by the Nazis at the beginning of World War II. A commemorative plaque now marks the site. Our next stop is Szeroka Street 46, where Hirsz Kalischer lived and worked – a rabbi of Toruń and a pioneer of the Zionist movement. We get off our bikes to hear the story of a man who inspired Jews to return to Palestine long before the State of Israel was established.
We continue to the House Under the Turk, where Jewish merchant Marcus Henius ran a riverside inn and a vodka and liqueur distillery. From there, we turn onto Podmurna Street 52, once home to the Jakobi photography studio. Here, we learn how Samuel Jacobi brought the first camera to Toruń from Paris.
We ride toward Wysoka Street 16, where the Jewish community rented a building for a synagogue in 1822. We then stop at Prosta Street 10, the former seat of the Jewish community. Each of these stops offers deeper insight into the social life of Toruń’s Jews.
An important point on the route is the Jewish cemetery on Antczaka Street, where a commemorative stone marks the grave of Hirsz Kalischer. After a short pause, we head to Targowa Street, where the former municipal slaughterhouses remind us of the tradition of kosher slaughter by Jewish butchers.
A bit farther, we pass Polmos – a former distillery founded in 1884 by Jewish entrepreneur Natan Hirschfeld, still known today for producing flavored vodkas. We also pass Szmalcówka, named after a lard and oil factory once owned by Scharf Zelma, later turned by the Nazis into a transit camp, where several hundred people lost their lives. We also stop at the Richter Mills – massive red-brick buildings originally constructed as a steam mill by Gustav Gerson, a Jewish industrialist.
To conclude our route, we cover a longer, half-hour stretch to reach the National Remembrance Park, where 100 granite pillars form the outline of Poland. Engraved on them are the names of 16,000 Poles who saved Jews during World War II. Our final stop is the building at 15 Konopnicka Street, once the headquarters of the Jewish Committee of Toruń, the last place in the city where members of the Jewish faith gathered until 1948.
The entire tour lasts around 2 hours. We ride at a relaxed pace, stopping for photos, stories, and explanations of the sites we pass. This is a fantastic opportunity to see Toruń from a different perspective – to discover lesser-known places that form a rich mosaic of the city’s past. Riding this route becomes a tribute to a heritage that still lives on in the stones and stories of Toruń.
Modernist Toruń
We hop on our bikes and set off on an urban journey in search of modernist Toruń! This cycling route leads us to less obvious, yet incredibly fascinating places – from elegant villas and public institutions to iconic examples of utilitarian modernist architecture. Our starting point is the Nowomiejski Market Square.
We head toward the Church of Christ the King – a fantastic example of a modernist church from the 1930s, featuring a simple form, a tall tower, and a raw, austere façade. It’s a spiritual expression of Toruń’s take on modernism. Along the way, we pass the postmodern Aqua Toruń building – a swimming complex strongly inspired by ship-like, nautical forms.
Our next stop is the District Court on Warneńczyka Street, the newest building on our route and a modern take on modernist tradition. Completed in 2021, its façades were designed using white and grey architectural concrete panels. The structure contrasts with its surroundings while maintaining a subtle and calm architectural dialogue.
We ride on to the Ulatowski House, one of the most interesting modernist villas in Toruń, designed by the master himself. Clean lines, functionalism, and a strong sense of proportion prove that modernism can be both utilitarian and beautiful.
Just next door stands the former Court of Appeal, now home to the Faculty of Physics at Nicolaus Copernicus University – a building with a distinctive façade marked by vertical window rhythms, impressing with its simplicity and structural strength. We turn toward the city center, passing the Jordanki Cultural and Congress Center, designed by Spanish architect Fernando Menis. The building combines futuristic solutions with references to the historical Gothic character of Toruń.
A short ride brings us to the Marshal’s Office, a former administrative building that blends modernist logic with monumental scale. Right next to it is the former Agricultural Bank, still operating today, built in the 1930s based on a design by Marian Lalewicz.
We continue to the now-iconic “Harmonijka” (“Accordion”) – probably the most famous modernist building in Toruń and one of the few examples of vertical modernism in Poland. Nearby stands another notable building designed by Ignacy Tłoczek, currently housing the State Archive. In the distance, we spot a small gem of modernist architecture – the MZK tramway pavilion – a treat for fans of architectural detail. Minimalist in form, with glass and wavy concrete elements – it speaks for itself.
Next, we visit the Faculty of Mathematics at UMK, housed in a modernist building originally intended to be the Pomeranian Land Museum named after Marshal Józef Piłsudski, complete with libraries and archives. During World War II, it was used as a Luftwaffe school.
Not far from here stands the State Forests Directorate, distinguished by its decorative entrance flanked by two bears sculpted from Kielce sandstone by Ignacy Zelek.
We’re now entering one of the most interesting villa streets in Toruń. The Kraus House is a fine example of modernist architecture with nautical references. We ride further to the Mittlener Villa – another excellent example of the so-called “streamline moderne” or “ship style.” Importantly, this area is rich in modernist villas and tenement houses from the 1920s and 1930s, forming a cohesive and picturesque urban landscape – a great spot to take out your camera!
After a longer stretch, we reach the villa designed by renowned Toruń architect Edmund Płocki as his private residence. Built in 1931, and surrounded by a lush garden, it now houses the Local Activity Center “Villa with Passion”.
The next stop is the Nicolaus Copernicus University campus, one of the greatest achievements of late modernism in all of Central Europe. At its heart lies the Main Forum, surrounded by buildings of the Rector’s Office, Main Auditorium, Faculty of Chemistry, and University Library. The entire complex is characterized by clean forms, functionality, and minimalist decoration.
Finally, we head to the Municipal Exhibition Hall, designed for the First Pomeranian Horticultural and Industrial Exhibition held in 1928–1929. At the time of its completion, it was the largest exhibition hall in Poland. Its basilica-like spatial layout gives it a unique and compelling architectural structure.
We close the loop – returning to the Nowomiejski Market Square, full of impressions and with a fresh perspective on Toruń’s architecture of the modern era.
Black Fortress Trail – Northern Section
This route takes you through the most important sites of the right-bank section of the Toruń Fortress, showcasing both its hydrotechnical origins and the development of modern artillery forts. The trail follows this route:
Fortress Museum Toruń → Grodz V & VI → Municipal Park → Fort IX → Fort VIII → Fort VII → Steine Rühmen Monument → Artillery Shelter A-11 → Fort V → Fort IV → Fort III → Fort I (Armored Fort) → Fort of St. James → Fortress Museum Toruń
Route Description
We begin our tour at the Fortress Museum Toruń, located in the former barracks on Wały gen. Sikorskiego Street. The exhibition presents the history of Toruń’s fortifications, scale models, and numerous artifacts related to the city’s military past.
Next, we head to Grodz V and VI on Bulwar Filadelfijski — a set of hydrotechnical structures built in 1824, originally used to regulate the water level in the city moat. Initially connected by a wall with a walkway for soldiers, they are now separated by a bridge over the Vistula River.
We pass through the Municipal Park in the Bydgoskie Przedmieście district — one of the oldest designed parks in Poland, featuring picturesque ponds formed in the area of former brickworks. The park served as a leisure space for residents and Prussian garrison officers.
We continue to Fort IX, an intermediate artillery fort located on Okrężna Street. It is the smallest fort in Toruń, shaped like a pentagon. Today, it has been repurposed as a residential care facility.
Next is Fort VIII on Bielańska Street — an infantry fort designed to hold up to 300 people. After German forces entered the city, it was converted into an investigative prison for Polish civilians. It is currently the most damaged fort in Toruń’s outer fortress ring.
We then move on to the main artillery fort – Fort VII, which could accommodate around 600 soldiers. During World War II, it served as a Gestapo prison, and many prisoners were executed in the nearby Barbarka Forest. Close to the fort is the Steine Rühmen Monument, which can be interpreted as a tribute to German soldiers who protected the city from wartime destruction, especially the direct defenders of the Toruń fortress during the difficult days of August 1914.
We then visit Artillery Shelter A-11 on Polna Street, one of 26 shelters built for artillery battery crews. It is currently used as a workshop.
The next part of the route leads to Fort V, the best-preserved artillery fort, which has been under military administration since its construction. It retains its original 19th-century equipment.
We then reach Fort IV on Chrobrego Street — another well-preserved artillery fort, open to visitors with a guide who leads tours through the deepest parts of the fortification.
We pass by Fort III, one of the large infantry forts built at the end of the 19th century.
Next is Fort I, an armored fort — one of the most modern structures of the Toruń fortress. It is the only fort in Poland equipped with armored turrets for 21 cm howitzers (HPT 90), with additional armored components including two PbSt 87 positions.
The final fort on our route is the Fort of St. James, which played an important role in defending the city from the east — a key position due to the proximity of the Prussian-Russian border, located about 10 km from Toruń.
We end the ride at our starting point — the square in front of the Fortress Museum Toruń.
Black Fortress Trail – Southern Section
The Black Fortress Trail is a unique cycling route that leads through the most interesting and diverse military structures of the Toruń Fortress, including:
Fortress Museum Toruń – Fort of St. James – Fort XV – Artillery Shelter A 22 – Fort XIV – Bridgehead – Armored Howitzer Battery II – Fort XII – Armored Battery A.B. IV – Fort XI (Stefan Batory) – Fort X – Fortress Museum Toruń
This trail offers not only an active way to spend time but also a chance to explore the fascinating history of the Prussian fortifications that shaped the landscape and fate of Toruń for over a hundred years.
Route Description
The tour begins at the Fortress Museum Toruń, located in a former artillery shelter on Wały gen. Sikorskiego Street. The exhibits present the development of Toruń’s fortifications, models, military uniforms, and numerous historical artifacts from the time when Toruń was one of the most strategically important Prussian strongholds.
The next stop is the Fort of St. James, built between 1828 and 1833, east of the city center. It was one of the first 19th-century fortress elements, serving as a citadel protecting the city from the east. Monumental barracks and earth embankments have been preserved here.
Continuing along a picturesque path across the E. Zawacka Bridge, we reach Fort XV (Henryk Dąbrowski), one of the best-preserved artillery forts. It was the largest and most modern of its kind, featuring a double rampart. In 1920–1921, it served as Internment Camp No. 11 for the White Army, and during World War II, it became a multinational POW camp within Stalag XXA.
Nearby is the Artillery Shelter A 22, an example of a shelter built for artillery crews, additionally equipped with a well and a hand pump. Next to it is the Intermediate Battery ZB 74, with earthen gun emplacements that played a key role in secondary line defense.
The route then leads to Fort XIV (Józef Bem), constructed between 1889 and 1893 as an infantry fort—the only one surrounded by a wet moat. During World War II, it operated as a hospital for prisoners of war from Stalag XXA.
Not far from there, on Podgórska Street, is the Bridgehead (Brückenkopf), built between 1824 and 1835 in a pincer layout. The older section is enclosed by a Carnot wall with firing slits, and the entire structure is surrounded by a deep, wet moat defended from a centrally located caponier.
The route wouldn’t be complete without the Armored Howitzer Battery II, designed for four 15 cm howitzers under armored domes. Battery I still retains its armored turrets, while Battery II has lost its gun domes.
Fort XII (Władysław Jagiełło) is located within a military training ground. It includes an experimental gun platform for a 10.5 cm cannon and serves as an important defensive point for the fortress’s northwest section.
Armored Battery A.B. IV, now the Museum of Armored Fortifications, includes two Prussian 19th-century armored structures—Experimental Battery AB IV (a unique site on a European scale) and the Semi-Armored SLB. The surrounding area features smaller shelters and engineering structures from WWII and the Cold War.
Fort XI (Stefan Batory), a main artillery fort, still holds evidence of British POWs from Stalag XXA—engravings and drawings remain on the walls of the caponier.
The final point is Fort X – Coastal Battery, consisting of a ten-chamber brick crew shelter and an artillery rampart with six emplacements for 12 cm-caliber guns. The battery is surrounded by a moat along 3/8 of its perimeter.
The Black Fortress Trail is a cycling journey through Toruń’s military heritage. It allows you to stay active while discovering the rich and complex history of Prussian fortifications that shaped the city’s landscape and past for more than a century.
