Watching the World Go By

When you live in a tenement building in the middle of the old town...what better way to pass the time than watch the world go by from your window. This seems to be a common pastime among local residents here in Toruń.

Colourful

Colourful tenement buildings in Ul. Mostowa. You can see how some residents make do with the little space that they have on their balconies.

Mind your Head!

These construction workers are currently hard at work restoring the exterior of an old tenement building. Funny...my Polish is still quite poor...but I know what scaffolding is in Polish (rusztowanie)! Why on earth do I need to know that? Funny what you pick up over the years!! ;-)

New Restaurant part 2

Here's another shot of the new Italian restaurant which we posted yesterday. The actual building is historical and featured in a TDP post four years ago: http://torundailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/03/typical-tenement.html.

Yes it really did take 4 years to open up a new restaurant in this building!!!

Old but Beautiful

Amazing to think that the bricks on this old tenement building are almost 350 years old...but as the date at the top proves...the building was built in 1653. It stands in the old market square...as the picture shows is best captured with the setting sun giving a crimson glow.

A Touch of Mediterranean

This delightful atrium is part of the new Cafe Molus in the Old Market Square. With plants and palm trees...it really feels like the Mediterranean...right in the heart of Toruń!

The cafe also offers beautifully restored apartments upstairs for those who need a place to stay.

Close!

This shot taken from the Town Hall tower shows how close the old tenement houses in the Old Town are to each other. Very little space in between, and bare in mind that most of these buildings will now be converted flats. It also explains how come fires can be so devastating as and when they happen.

Toruń Blaze (by Mark Hoogslag)

Toruń is famed for its old, charming architecture. However, its wooden-timbered medieval frames do sometimes come at a price. On the morning of Thursday 15th March 2007, a major fire broke out in a 15th Century tenement building in the city's Old Town. Luckily, there were no fatalities but the fire did completely gut the building (including the "Stara Babcia" (Old Grandmother's) pub in it's basement). Our guest photographer Mark was on the scene to capture some shots.

Typical Tenement

Toruń is full of medieval tenement buildings scattered around the Old Town. They come in all shapes and sizes. This one is situated in Szczytna Street in the heart of the city. It was once the Elana Klub, today it is in the process of being refurbished and will soon open up as a brand-spanking new restaurant!