Cloisters are corridors or porches extending along the walls of a building, often surrounding the inner courtyard of a castle or monastery, with arcades open to its space. They appeared on one or more storeys, such as ground level and on floors. They performed communication functions between the chambers and buildings, as well as aesthetic functions, decorating the inner courtyard. Torun cloisters were primarily used for communication. In the chronicles they were called “krucegang”, that is a processional place, where the cross was carried.
The outer walls of the first floor between the arcades were articulated, or divided. They were decorated with terracotta panels with polychrome tracery decorations. A similar one was built in Malbork. The ground floor was often not used for communication, but only for household and economic activities, such as grooming the brothers and supplying the kitchen. With time, the arcades were willingly converted into rooms. This was done in the Torun castle in the 14th century. The ground floor arcades were walled up and the walls inside were covered with polychrome.