In front of the gallery Old Toruń. History and Handicrafts 1233-1793

You will find the exhibition Old Toruń. History and Handicrafts 1233-1793 in the west wing of the Town Hall, on the site of the former medieval cloth halls. The exhibition shows the economic development of the city through presentations of objects made mostly by local craftsmen from the 13th to the 18th century. It gathers materially diverse and rich historical material, represented among others by architectural details from the Toruń castle, guild memorabilia and fragments of bourgeois house furnishings.

The painting illustrates the legend of the arrival of the Teutonic Knights on the land of Chełmno. The composition is divided into three horizontal zones: at the bottom, the Prussians are fighting with the Teutonic Knights; in the centre, the focal point of the composition is an oak with a watchtower in its crown; at the top, both sides of the oak depict opposing armies attacking each other. The painting came to the Town Hall as early as 1915, when it was purchased for 500 Polish marks from Georg Bruck in Berlin.