Torun owes its ori­gins to the Teu­ton­ic Order, which built a cas­tle there in the mid-13th cen­tu­ry as a base for the con­quest and evan­ge­liza­tion of Prus­sia. It soon devel­oped a com­mer­cial role as part of the Hanseat­ic League. In the Old and New Town, the many impos­ing pub­lic and pri­vate build­ings from the 14th and 15th cen­turies (among them the house of Coper­ni­cus) are strik­ing evi­dence of Torun‘s impor­tance.