Living Museum of Gingerbread

The Living Museum of Gingerbread (Żywe Muzeum Piernika, roughly "ZHIH-veh moo-ZEH-oom pyer-NEE-kah") in Toruń is a private, hands-on museum where you don't look at display cases, you make gingerbread yourself. In a 19th-century brick granary on ul. Rabiańska in the Old Town, costumed hosts walk you through the old craft, and you shape your own dough in traditional wooden molds and take the result home. It's one of the most popular things to do in Toruń with kids.

Gingerbread city, and two museums

Toruń is a medieval Hanseatic city on the Vistula River, about 130 miles (210 km) northwest of Warsaw. Its UNESCO-listed Old Town is famous for two things: Nicolaus Copernicus, who was born here, and piernik, the spiced gingerbread that has become a symbol of the city. Every October the city even holds a Gingerbread Festival (October 2–11 in 2026).

Don't mix up the two gingerbread museums:

• Living Museum of Gingerbread (ul. Rabiańska 9): privately run since 2006, built around an interactive show
• Toruń Gingerbread Museum (ul. Strumykowa 4): a branch of the city's District Museum with an exhibition on the history of the craft

The same company also runs the House of Toruń Legends and the Wisła Bunker.

What happens during the show

A visit is a guided show of about 80 minutes, led by characters in period costume, including a master baker and a gingerbread witch. You'll:

• Learn how gingerbread dough was made in the Middle Ages
• Help grind flour on old millstones
• Prepare dough and press it into traditional carved gingerbread molds
• Take your own baked gingerbread home as a souvenir

Shows run at set times in groups. The booking system lists English-language shows (marked as translated), so pick one of those if you don't speak Polish.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, especially with children: it's participatory, practical and ends with an edible souvenir. Adults who enjoy food history will like it too. Book ahead for weekends, summer and the October festival. Individual bookings cover up to 14 people; groups run from 15 to 75. The museum is in a historic building, so call ahead about access if you use a wheelchair or stroller.

Opening hours and tickets

As of October 2026:

• According to the museum's website, it's open daily, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; show times appear in the online booking calendar.
• We could not confirm current ticket prices from an official source. Check the booking system (rezerwacje.torunatrakcje.pl) or call. Prices are in Polish złoty (PLN).
• Booking online lets you skip the line at the door.

Address: ul. Rabiańska 9, Toruń; phone +48 56 663 66 17; email muzeumpiernika@muzeumpiernika.pl.

How to get there

Rabiańska Street lies in the southern part of the Old Town, a few minutes' walk from the Market Square and close to the riverside boulevard. Trains from Warsaw take roughly 2.5–3 hours; Toruń Miasto station is closer to the Old Town than Toruń Główny across the river. The nearest airport is Bydgoszcz, about 25–30 miles (40–50 km) away. Drivers should use Park & Ride (ul. Olimpijska 42 or ul. Dziewulskiego 38), as the Old Town has restricted traffic and paid parking.

Nearby

• Toruń Gingerbread Museum, for the history side of the story
• House of Toruń Legends, run by the same company, on ul. Szeroka
• Ruins of the Teutonic Knights' castle
• The Leaning Tower and the Vistula riverside boulevard