Toruń, Poland

Toruń is a city of roughly 200,000 residents on the Vistula River in northern Poland, founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1233. It is the 1473 birthplace of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who modelled a Sun-centred solar system, and the 1388 Cathedral of St. John where he was baptised still stands. The UNESCO-listed Old Town preserves the 1274 Old Town Hall and a 15th-century Leaning Tower tilted 1.5 metres off vertical. Since 1380, bakers here have made piernik, recognised as the world's oldest continuously produced Christmas gingerbread.