The international fame of the Leaning Tower of Pisa haunted many “leaning” buildings in the world. Still, not a single one ever managed to outshine the iconic structure. Either the height was not enough, or the angle of inclination was not so significant. And only the Polish beauty in Torun managed to become a worthy rival because the angle of the Leaning Tower in Torun is one and a half times larger than that of the famous bell tower of the Italian Pisa Cathedral. Fifteen meters high, it has an angle of inclination of 1.46 meters.

According to local legend, a Teutonic Knight built the Leaning Tower in Torun as an act of repentance for his sins and atrocities. For many years, he tormented citizens with his tricks, for which he was thrown into a dungeon as punishment. Neither pleas for mercy nor promises to improve could affect the judge’s decision until the citizens came up with a new punishment. He was asked to build an observation tower in Torun, equal in its crookedness to the knight's sinfulness. No matter how hard the young man tried, he managed to build no more than a meter per month. Every centimeter of the slope meant one of his sins. In fifteen months, the citizens saw the Leaning Tower, and since then, they have been using it to check how clear the conscience of a new citizen or tourist is. To do this, you need to stand with your back to the tower, lean against the wall with your whole body and stretch your arms forward. Not everyone manages to hold out for ten seconds, and the most righteous receive a certificate of a clear conscience.

Of course, all these legends are just tales of bygone days. The Leaning Tower was built along with other structures of the city’s defensive walls at the end of the 13th century. And the medieval tower didn’t become crooked at once, but several years later as a result of soil subsidence. But it’s not essential since even adult travelers sometimes wish to believe in a fairy tale.