Rare medal minted on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the city rights of Toruń in 1731.
Unsigned medal, by Marl Friedrich (1700-1743).
Item sporadically listed at auctions. Excellent design.
Obverse: on the left a spreading oak tree, next to a guard and a standing warrior with a sword and shield, in the depth a view of fortified Toruń with towers, on the wall the date 1235, at the bottom a bridge, on the Vistula flowing boats, in front of the bridge a horde of armed men (15 people in three ranks), in the rim a semicircular inscription
RECORDATVR DESIDERAB SVOR ANTIQ THREN I.7.
Reverse: a shield of arms held by an Angel, at the bottom two crossed palm branches, the Angel splits the inscription in a semicircle: NATAL THOR QVINGENTES, in segment the date A.C.. 1731, in the middle an inscription in four lines
ES STEHT NVN THORN 500 IAHR / ERLOST AVS MANCGERLEY GEFAHR / BLEIB DV IHR SCHVTZ HERR ZEBAOTH / VND HILF IHR FERNER AVS DER NOTH
Diameter 47 mm, weight 25.26 g
Edward Raczynski writes about this item as follows: "The citizens of Toruń had this medal minted in 1731 to commemorate the founding of their city in the 13th century.
An oak once stood in this place, which the ancient Prussians used for their idolatrous rituals.
In 1231 the Knights of the Teutonic Knights, fighting the Prussians, when they found the place suitable for defense, fortified it and founded a defensive settlement under the name of Toruń.
But when a little later the place seemed to be inconvenient due to flooding of the Vistula, the Teutonic Knights moved their settlement to where Toruń stands today.
The ruins of the original castle still exist a mile from the city, under the name of old Torun.
Bishop Albeltrandi concludes that the inscription on the reverse side of this medal, engraved and taken from Jeremiah's Threnody, refers to the misfortune that Torun suffered in 1725 as a result of a riot started by the city's municipalities and Jesuit students."
