After the Second World War this calm medium-sized city in northern Poland became a huge centre of industry, specialising in producing artificial fibres. Nowadays most of the factories have closed and the city instead has grown into a popular tourist destination. The Old Town boasts a large number of sights, predominantly dating from the Middle Ages, such as St Mary's Church, the Cathedral of St John and the Town Hall. The panorama of the historical quarter as seen from the left bank of the river or the bridge, especially when illuminated in the evenings, is really stunning.

As with most Polish cities, Torun has a tangled history. It is characterised by the several hundreds of years it was ruled by the Teutonic Order of knights and its participation in the Hanseatic League. Over a hundred years of German administration left also traces on the urban and architectural nature of the city.

Torun, while being the hometown of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, also continues its tradition of being a strong scientific centre, especially in astronomy through one of the leading departments of the local university. In the Old Town you may visit a planetarium, while in Piwnice near Torun is an observatory containing the biggest telescope in Poland.

Apart from playing its role of tourist destination and academic centre, Torun is a place full of a vibrant cultural and artistic life, hosting important festivals like the Kontakt festival of theatre and the Probaltica festival of music.