Torun is a large city in Northern Poland with a population of over 200,000. It is one of the oldest cities in Poland, and since its establishment in 1233, has changed hands many times, going from being part of Poland, Prussia, and Germany until 1918 when Poland declared independence. Torun is recognized widely as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, especially with its preservation of its medieval layout and Gothic architecture, and in 1997 the medieval part of the city was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Spending a few weeks in Torun will be a trip off of the beaten study abroad path. Some interesting things to know about Torun is that it is known throughout Europe for its gingerbread, with entire houses and a Museum dedicated to such. A fun fact about Torun is that it is the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer born in 1473, who is most widely known for creating a model of the universe in which the sun was at the center, rather than the earth. He was considered crazy for long time, until the rest of the world realized that, indeed, the sun was the center of the universe. Hopefully they apologized to Copernicus!

The Specialized City Hospital of Nicholas Copernicus has been operating as a municipal hospital in Torun for over 100 years! Although it did not open until 1910, the hospital was actually in the works in 1868, although it took until 1908 for construction to commence. In 1937 the hospital had just 116 staff, but since has grown to approximately 644 staff members, including around 235 doctors and 250+ beds. More than 4,000 surgeries are performed at the hospital each year as well as more than 150,000 diagnostic tests. The hospital includes 10 specialties.