Bydgoszcz and Toruń, Toruń and Bydgoszcz: History as a Starting Point for a Discussion About the Future

Does history determine the present-day relationship between Bydgoszcz and Toruń? Can centuries of living side by side inspire cooperation in the future? Participants at today’s conference, Bydgoszcz – Toruń: Relations Through the Ages, held in Ostromecko near Bydgoszcz, are exploring these questions. The event, held under the honorary patronage of the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region, brings together representatives of the academic communities of both cities. The regional self-government is represented by Vice Marshal Zbigniew Ostrowski. Read more: A Bydgoszcz–Toruń Roadmap Is Urgently Needed.

The conference is the first in a series of meetings held under the banner Different Paths – Shared Opportunities. Its aim is to create a forum for substantive debate on the development of the region’s two largest cities. The organisers—the scientific societies of Bydgoszcz and Toruń, the provincial public libraries in both cities, and Bydgoszcz’s Municipal Cultural Centre—are working in partnership with Nicolaus Copernicus University, Kazimierz Wielki University and the University of Economy. They emphasise that reflecting on the past should help identify new forms of cooperation for the benefit of the region.

The participants include historians, sociologists and political scientists. The first part of the debate was attended by Toruń Deputy Mayor Adam Szponka and Bydgoszcz Deputy Mayor Iwona Waszkiewicz.

Beata Krzemińska
Press Spokesperson, Marshal’s Office of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region

20 October 2026
Last updated: 27 October 2026