The Central Maritime Museum Crane (Żuraw) is one of the most original architectural monuments in Gdańsk. This fourteenth-century building, which majestically majestically overlooking the Motława river embankment, was one of the most advanced buildings of its time in Europe. This harbour crane was used for unloading and loading ships, and also had a defence function as the harbour gateway. It also served as a means of attaching masts to ships.
It acquired its present form already in the Middle Ages, in 1442-1444. In essence. it is essentially a crane, consisting of two round towers and a blackened wooden superstructure between them. On the roof is a copper crane, a symbol of vigilance, hence the name Crane.
An exposition arranged inside the Crane explains the mechanism of its action, witty and simple. The Crane's front wall used to overhang the water's edge. Loads weighing up to 4 tons were lowered along the rope and raised with hooks onto a wall 27 meters high. The rope was attached to an axle, and it was set in motion by people moving in two huge wheels with a diameter of more than 5 meters, according to the principle of a squirrel in a wheel. There's a window in the centre of the Crane, through which they watched the load the movement of the cargo.
The Crane was destroyed during World War II and was rebuilt in 1956 - 1965. Thanks to this, tourists have a unique opportunity to get a glimpse the spirit of the past. In the rooms of the museum are recreated everyday sketches of the crane workers - weighmaster, accountant and goods receiver. The lower floors of the Crane were used as living quarters. There is a reconstruction of a living room. В Each hall of the exposition hangs brief descriptions of the expositions in foreign languages.
This unique crane-gate is depicted on 5-gulden coins of 1932 Free City of Danzig (Gdansk). Since then, the Crane
.has become one of the most recognisable symbols of Gdańsk.
Contributing a unique flavour to the panorama of the city, the Crane Maritime Museum above the river Motlawa River is one of the most interesting tourist attractions in Gdańsk.
