Toruń
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Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–1998) and the Pomeranian Voivodeship (1921–1945). Since 1999, Toruń has been a seat of the local government of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and is one of its two capitals, together with Bydgoszcz. The cities and neighboring counties form the Bydgoszcz–Toruń twin city metropolitan area.
Image: Torun panorama zza Wisly 2 (cropped)
Image: Stare Miasto, Ratusz Staromiejski w Toruniu
Image: Rynek Nowomiejski w Toruniu i kościół św. Jakuba
Image: Torun ul. Szeroka od ul. Laziennej do Rynku
Hermann Balk
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Hermann Balk, also known as Hermann von Balk or Hermann Balke, was a Knight-Brother of the Teutonic Order and its first Landmeister, or Provincial Master, in both Prussia and Livonia. From 1219 to 1227, he served as the Deutschmeister in the Order's Province of Alemannia. Balk led the crusaders during the Prussian Crusade and became Master of Prussia in 1230. From 1237 to 1238, he also served in the additional role as Master of Livonia.
This 1922 postcard of the Hermann Balk Fountain in Marienwerder (destroyed 1945) depicts Balk in historically incorrect Late Middle Ages attire.