Gingerbread Ovens

The medieval domed oven is a reconstruction, not an appliance that has survived from the Middle Ages. It recreates an early oven type and begins a comparison of baking methods. The chronology concerns technical designs rather than the age of every object on display.

Further examples include ovens from the turn of the 20th century. They belong to the era of industrial gingerbread production, much later than the beginnings of Toruń's craft in the 14th century. Another example is a 20th-century gas oven. Gas was its fuel, whereas “domed” describes the shape of the earlier construction.

The collection also includes an oven dating from the 1960s. Together, the displays cover a medieval design, the turn of the century and post-war technology. The exhibition's wider account of baking technology extends from the 14th to the 21st century; the ovens are specific examples from that long history.