House of Legends of Toruń – learn about the history of Toruń from another side

Have you ever started a city tour by learning about local legends? If you haven’t already, while you’re in Torun we highly recommend you do so. At the House of Legends of Torun you will learn about the history of the city full of legends and beliefs, and everything is told in a very attractive and engaging way.

When planning your stay in Torun, you will probably focus on gingerbread baking and decorating workshops, map out a tour of Gothic monuments or book a visit to the Planetarium.

Today we come with a suggestion for a slightly different tour: first, let’s learn about the legends and symbols of Toruń, and then go on a slow discovery of the city. Walking along the Vistula River, looking for the Flisak or the city’s coat of arms with the Angel – all of this will be much more interesting when we learn the stories behind these places and symbols.

You can read about the legends before you come, you can listen to them, probably also watch some fairy tale, but there is a place in Torun where we can almost take part in them! This place is the House of Torun Legends – a place not only for children, because there will be a lot of fun and laughter for adults here as well.

The House of Torun Legends is located in the center of Torun, at 35 Szeroka Street. Head exactly to this address, because the entrance is easy to miss – an inconspicuous glass door, a narrow entrance and a descent right into the basement. Apart from the inscription above the door, there is nothing to indicate that inside we will move not so much to another world, but to another time. Welcome to the medieval city of Toruń!

A visit to the House of Legends of Torun

After passing the glass door, take the stairs down to level -1, where there is a cash register, a store, and restrooms. It is here that a journey into the depths of beliefs and legends begins behind closed doors.

This trip lasts about 45 minutes and takes place in groups with a limited number of people. To make sure you don’t run out of space, it’s worth buying tickets for your chosen time in advance.

Once the starting time strikes, a guide/guide appears to show you around the prepared scenes. Passing through the door, you enter a dark space divided into 6 scenes, each depicting a different legend – they are highlighted one by one, so you don’t know what awaits you at the next station.

As part of the legends told, we will learn about the origins of Toruń, the role of the Teutonic Knights, the raftsman who saved Toruń from frogs, the bell that was supposed to protect against the end of the world or find out why the crooked tower is crooked. And you may think to yourself that this is no different from other shows…. Yet here, we can almost reincarnate the heroes of legends! There are disguises, there are tasks, and on top of that, the people telling the legends are very dedicated, perfectly playing the role of 14th/15th century residents of Toruń. There is plenty of laughter, jokes and movement throughout the tour.

Although we recall our visit to the House of Legends of Torun rather fondly, it is worth noting that the place is done on a rather budget. The individual sets are elaborately detailed, ornately decorated, but modest, and the entire area where they fit this in is surprisingly small (remember, we’re in the basement of a building). After the last scene one is left with a slight dissatisfaction – one would like more and even does not want to leave ;)

Nevertheless, we admire the staff for their excellent group leadership, acting and charisma.

Practical information

Who is the House of Legends of Torun for?

You could say that for everyone. Most fun will be had by families with children, but individual adults will also laugh and, above all, learn many interesting facts about Torun.

As for the age of children, in our opinion, from about 4 years old is the right time to take a look at the House of Torun Legends. Younger ones will also benefit, but to a lesser extent and it won’t all sink in. What’s more, as we mentioned above, the journey takes place in a dark basement, there are lights, it’s quite noisy, so young children may be scared and confused at first.

Adjustment of premises

The entrance to the facility is not suitable for people in wheelchairs or with baby carriages. At the very beginning we hit the stairs to the basement, where we have to bear the cart. Of course, this is understandable in such buildings, but nevertheless quite troublesome.

Fortunately, the entire exhibition downstairs is adapted and all the scenes can be approached with a stroller (it can also be safely left at the ticket office for the duration of the tour).

Opening hours of the House of Legends of Torun

The House of Legends of Torun is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. Entries are at full hours, and the number of people is limited (currently up to 18 people, previously it was 50 people).

The tour takes about 45 minutes.

Price list at the House of Legends of Torun

Tickets can be purchased at the box office or online at the booking site. It is worth taking the latter option, as it is quite a popular place and at the checkout you may find that there are no more seats available.

Prices are as follows:

• Normal ticket – 21 zloty,
• Discounted ticket – 16 zloty,
• Children under 3 years of age enter for free.

Getting to the House of Legends of Torun

The House of Torun Legends is located in the historic part of Torun, in the Old Town, at 35 Szeroka Street. As we wrote at the very beginning, the entrance is quite inconspicuous, in a tenement, although there is a sign with the name above the door.

Since it is a historic part, it is not possible to drive a car up to the entrance itself. You can leave your car in one of the paid parking lots or park on nearby streets (depending on the parking zone, it is a minimum of PLN 1.50 per hour).

The exact address:

House of Legends of Torun
Street. Broad 35
87-100 Torun

Accommodation in Torun

There is a wide range of accommodation in Torun, so whether you are looking for a hotel with breakfast or an apartment with a kitchen, you are sure to find something suitable.

We stayed at the Mercure Hotel – it is an older property, but of a good standard with a tasty breakfast. Its biggest advantage is its location – it is close to the Old Town (about 10 minutes on foot).

Here are some suggestions for accommodations with address, prices and link:

• Hotel Mercure Torun Centre
  Address: ul. Kraszewskiego 1/3, 87-100 Toruń
  Prices: from 200 PLN for a double room
  Link:
  http://r4b.link/mercureheliostorun
  
• B&B Hotel Torun
  Address: Szumana 8, Old Town, 87-100 Toruń
  Prices: from 164 PLN for a double room
  Link:
  http://r4b.link/b-b-torun
  
• Bread and Wine Apartments Torun
  Address: Rynek Staromiejski 22, Old Town, 87-100 Toruń
  Prices: from 460 PLN for a double room
  Link:
  http://r4b.link/apartamenty-torun
  

Our opinion about the House of Legends of Torun

We recommend visiting the House of Legends of Torun at the very beginning of your visit to Torun. Here we will learn interesting legends, and the stories are spun in a very interesting and interactive way. With a visit here, exploring the city will be an even more interesting experience that will engage even the youngest.

Although we were a little unsatisfied, because we expected much more space, we have to admit that it is used to the maximum.