Toruńskie pieśni nowiniarskie

Abstract

This chapter provides an analysis of two news songs that tell about the events associated with Toruń. The first – written in Polish – applies to so-called “Toruń Tumult” which was the conflict between Catholics and Protestants that happened in 1724 and took the form of street riots and ended in a conviction for the death of the then mayor of Torun and 9 municipal councillors. The second song – written in German – talks about the earthquake and meteor shower that were to haunt Torun in 1572. The analysis leads to the conclusion that the two songs do not contain a reliable description of historical events, which are subject to various modifications and are adjusted to the religious model of presenting reality applicable in the news songs.