Żywe Muzeum Piernika () is a hands-on experience tourist attraction located in
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
old town of
Toruń
Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, that is famous for its
gingerbread
Gingerbread refers to a broad category of baked goods, typically flavored with ginger root, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon and sweetened with honey, sugar, or molasses. Gingerbread foods vary, ranging from a moist loaf cake to forms nearly ...
. Visitors take part in an interactive show through which they are taught how to make a traditional gingerbread. The show consist of two parts – first visitors are shown how the dough was made in
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. Having prepared dough, everyone then makes their own gingerbread using traditional baking molds. Throughout the whole show visitors are guided by the master of bakery, a gingerbread witch and the craftsmen.
The museum is located on 9, Rabiańska Strett, in an early 19th-century
granary
A granary, also known as a grain house and historically as a granarium in Latin, is a post-harvest storage building primarily for grains or seeds. Granaries are typically built above the ground to prevent spoilage and protect the stored grains o ...
, and visitors also participate in flour production using
millstone
Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, used for triturating, crushing or, more specifically, grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones.
Millstones come in pairs: a s ...
s. The museum forms part of the gingerbread tradition still living in town.
[Polish museums guide: 1000 muzeów w Polsce, red. D. Folga-Januszewska, Olszanica 2011, ]
See also
* (a different facility with a similar name, this is a proper museum with several rooms filled with exhibits, a branch of the
District Museum in Toruń)
*
List of food and beverage museums
References
External links
*
Museums in Toruń
Food museums in Poland
Bread museums
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