Attraction in Toruń

Krzywa Wieza

The Leaning Tower is a 14th-century defensive tower that tilts about 1.5 metres from vertical due to its foundation on unstable riverside ground. Local legend ties the lean to a Teutonic knight's broken vow.

Reviewed and updated July 2026

Krzywa Wieza — Photo: Ola Zaparucha (CC BY-SA 3.0 pl), via Wikimedia Commons

The Leaning Tower is a brick defensive tower in the walls of Torun's old town that tilts noticeably out of true. It was built in the 14th century as part of the medieval fortifications and began to lean because it stands on soft riverside ground. The top is displaced about one and a half metres from the vertical, enough to see clearly from the street.

Why visit the Leaning Tower

Torun's medieval walls survived where most Polish towns lost theirs, and this tower is the piece everyone stops at. The lean is genuine and photogenic, and the spot has become a small ritual: stand with your heels and back flat against the wall and try to hold your balance, which the tilt makes harder than it looks. It takes five minutes and it is free, so it slots into any walk of the old town.

The legend of the Leaning Tower

Local tradition ties the lean to a Teutonic knight who broke his vows and was made to build a crooked tower as a penance, a story told to every visitor. The real cause is duller and more certain. The tower sits on unstable ground near the Vistula, and over the centuries the foundation shifted and the structure tipped. Both versions get told at the wall, and both are part of the visit.

How long you need

Five to ten minutes is all the tower asks. It is a stop on a walk of the walls rather than a destination in its own right, so build it into a wider loop of the old town.

Best time for a photo

Daytime is fine for the lean itself, but the street is narrow and fills with groups in the middle of the day, which makes a clean photo hard. Early morning is quieter. In the evening the walls are floodlit, which suits the brick.

Getting to the Leaning Tower

The tower stands on ulica Krzywa Wieza in the south-west of the old town, a short walk from the Old Town Market Square along the line of the walls. For getting into and around the city, see the Torun guide.

Near the city walls

The tower sits among the best of the old town:

The Teutonic castle ruins at the eastern end of the walls.
The Cathedral of St John a couple of minutes inland.
The Vistula boulevard below the walls by the river.

Good to know

The tower is on a public street and free to see from outside. The interior is not a public viewing platform, so the visit is about the lean seen from the street, not a climb. It is a short walk from the main square along the medieval walls.

Leaning Tower questions

Why does the tower lean?

It was built on soft, unstable ground by the river, which caused it to tilt over time. The top now sits about 1.5 metres off the vertical.

Can you go inside?

The interior is used by the city and is not open as a public lookout, so there is no climb to a viewpoint. Most people see the tower from the street, which is where the lean reads best.

Frequently asked questions

It was built in the 14th century on soft, unstable ground near the Vistula, and over the centuries the foundation shifted and the structure tipped. The top now sits about 1.5 metres off the vertical, enough to see clearly from the street. Local legend blames a Teutonic knight's penance, but the ground is the real cause.

The interior is used by the city and is not open as a public lookout, so there is no climb to a viewpoint. Most people see the tower from the street, which is where the lean reads best, and it is free.

Five to ten minutes is all it asks. It is a stop on a walk of the medieval walls rather than a destination in its own right, and a small ritual is to stand with your back flat against the wall and try to keep your balance.

It stands on ulica Krzywa Wieza in the south-west of the old town, a short walk from the Old Town Market Square along the line of the walls. Nearby are the Teutonic castle ruins, the Cathedral of St John and the Vistula boulevard. Early morning is quieter for a clean photo.

More attractions in Toruń

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Torun Old Town

A genuine, war-survived medieval centre of brick Gothic churches, granaries and gabled houses around the Old Town Market Square.

Ratusz Staromiejski

One of the finest municipal Gothic buildings in Central Europe, the Old Town Hall dates from the late 14th century and now houses the District Museum. Its tall tower offers sweeping views over the red-roofed old town and the Vistula.

Dom Kopernika

A pair of Gothic burgher houses believed to be the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus in 1473, now a museum devoted to the astronomer's life and era. Exhibits recreate a 15th-century merchant household and display period instruments.

Medieval City Gates and Walls

Three surviving medieval gates and stretches of Toruń's original brick town wall line the Vistula, forming part of the UNESCO-listed old town's riverside defences.

Toruń Fortress (Fort IV)

A ring of 19th-century Prussian forts around Toruń, with Fort IV the best preserved and open for tours of its brick corridors, barrack rooms and moats.

Planetarium

Housed in a former 19th-century gas holder, Torun's planetarium projects astronomy shows under a large dome in fitting tribute to the birthplace of Copernicus. It is one of the most visited planetariums in Poland.