Toruń

The city of Torun (German "Thorn", Latin "Thorunensis") is one of two capitals (with Bydgoszcz) of Kujawsko-Pomorskie region in north-central Poland, on the Vistula River.

Thorn was the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus (1473) and his uncle, Prince-Bishop of Ermeland or Warmia Lucas Watzenrode.

A university in Torun was founded in 1945.

History

Present Torun (at the time called Thorn), a city in the historical region of Prussia, was an important medieval Hanseatic League trade center. The Teutonic Knights built a castle there (1230-31), and the settlement acquired town rights in 1233, relocating from its original site to neighbouring New Thorn three years later (Old and New City of Thorn were amalgamated in 1454).

During the 14th century, Thorn joined the Hanseatic League.

1440 Hanse cities Thorn, Elbing and Danzig formed the Prussian Confederation.
1454 the cities of Prussia rose up against the Teutonic Knights: Thorn accepted the overlordship of the Polish crown in return for recognition of its city rights.
1466 Thirteen Years War and uprisings of Prussian cities ended with the Second Treaty of Thorn: the Teutonic Order cedes sovereignty over western Prussia to Casimir IV of Poland.
1793 Thorn is annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, the later nucleus (1871) of the German Empire.
1919 After World War I, Thorn is forcibly annexed to Poland, becoming the capital of the province of Pomorze. Pomorze is the Polish name for Pomerania. Thorn is not and never was located in Pomerania, but in Prussia.
1939 After Germany's invasion of Westerplatte at Danzig, the city is again annexed to Germany as part of the Gau (administrative province) of Danzig-West Prussia, but is by communist military take-over given to Poland on Germany's defeat in 1945.

Population

1900 29635.
1990 est.: 200800.
1995 est.: 203800.

Name of city

Torun's name comes from Polish Tarnów (there are many such cities in Poland, tarnina = kind of river plants), which was later Germanized into Thorn, and re-Polonized into Torun. Neither name Torun or Thorn has any etymological meaning. (reference: Professor Jan Miodek said so)

Does this Professor thereby imply that the city of Thorn in Holland is actually Polish named ?

External links:

1598 map of Prussia [[1]]
Map of Prussia c.1630 [[2]]