0068 Double Cities in the Teutonic State on the Example of Toruń

Abstract

Toruń is the first exemplification of a double city on the territory of the Teutonic state. The ancient, 13^th-century pedigree of the Old and New Town prompts a question about the reasons for founding a new urban centre and the expectations involved. Similar arrangements in Elbląg, Braniewo, Królewiec and Gdańsk are of a later date and each of them represents an individual history but Toruń stands out in this group. In my text I outline the historical conditions accompanying the founding of the Toruń conurbation and I present the artistic factors which might enrich the picture of the relations between the two cities. These factors are: the urban planning arrangement, the topography of religious facilities, the parameters of the principal churches. All these components add up to a coherent image of the New City of Toruń, then under Teutonic control.