Krzywa Wieża w Toruniu

The Leaning Tower in Toruń (Krzywa Wieża) is a medieval town tower in the Old Town that has tilted northward for centuries. Today it is one of the most photographed small landmarks in the city. It cannot match the scale of the great Brick Gothic towers elsewhere in Toruń, but its odd silhouette makes visitors stop almost instinctively.

What is the Leaning Tower?

It is one of several dozen towers that once reinforced Toruń's defensive walls. It was built around the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries as a plain tower roughly fifteen metres tall. It was never a major military structure: standing in line with the walls, it served mainly as an auxiliary watchtower, of which the city had many.

A curious detail of its construction is that the tower was set on a four-sided foundation but left without a finished wall on the town side. That missing section was only filled in much later.

Why does it lean?

The reason lies underground. The tower rose on sandy, clayey soil that began to give way under the weight of the masonry. The sand shifted, the structure started to tilt, and eventually it came to rest on firmer ground and stopped moving. The lean developed as early as the 14th century. Today the deviation from vertical over a height of about 15 metres is just under one and a half metres, clearly visible, especially when you look at the tower from the street side.

How did its use change?

In the 18th century the missing wall on the town side was built, and the interior was turned into a lock-up for women. In the 19th century the function changed again: the tower housed a forge and apartments. This sequence shows how former defensive structures, once they lost their military role, found new uses in the fabric of the city.

What to know before you visit

• The tower stands within Toruń's Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, so it is easy to combine with a walk through the whole historic centre.
• It looks best from several sides: the street side shows the greatest tilt, while other viewpoints let you appreciate its mass and brick walls.
• It is a short stop of a few minutes, which makes it a good part of a longer route around the city.
• A popular tourist habit is the photo in which a visitor appears to hold the tower up, which works best from a low camera angle.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Leaning Tower in Toruń really lean? Yes. The tilt to the north is real and results from the sandy ground shifting under the tower's weight.

When was it built? Around the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, as part of the city's fortifications.

Was it an important defensive point? No. As a tower in the line of the walls it played a supporting role, mostly for observation.

What was it used for later? In the 18th century it held a women's lock-up, and in the 19th century a forge and apartments.

Is it the only tilted tower in Toruń? It is the best known, and its name has become a handy meeting spot for people strolling around the Old Town.