Copernicus' House in Toruń

The Nicolaus Copernicus House in Toruń, currently located at 15 Kopernika Street, is a museum dedicated to the astronomer. The history of the search for his birthplace dates back to 1711, when Toruń chronicler Jakub Henryk Zernecki suggested that Copernicus might have lived in a tenement building at the corner of Piekary and Starotoruńska Streets. Over time, with the involvement of Samuel Luther Geret, the Copernicus Well was built in this area, which became a pilgrimage site, visited even by figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Frédéric Chopin. In 1881, Toruń’s mayor Georg Bender discovered a document from 1450 that indicated the possible residence of Copernicus’s father at St. Anne’s Street (now 17 Kopernika Street). This information was met with resistance from the Coppernicus-Verein, which still considered the corner of Piekary and Starotoruńska Streets to be the correct birthplace. In 1923, after Poland regained independence, a granite memorial plaque was placed at 15 Kopernika Street, which after the war was moved inside the building. In the 1970s, a major renovation of Toruń’s Old Town began, leading to the establishment of the District Museum in the Nicolaus Copernicus Manor in 1973. It was modernized between 2017 and 2018, and the interiors were recreated in a medieval style, reflecting the atmosphere of five centuries. The exhibitions include memorabilia related to Copernicus and his family, including a collection of various editions of his work "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium." The museum’s basement features an exhibition dedicated to Toruń gingerbread. Despite extensive research, controversy still surrounds the exact birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, with some scholars, such as Krzysztof Mikulski, pointing to a previously demolished tenement at the Old Town Market Square as a more representative location associated with the Copernicus family. The Nicolaus Copernicus House is an important cultural and tourist attraction in Toruń, drawing numerous visitors interested in the history and achievements of one of the most famous astronomers in human history.