Zuraw

The Crane Gate, also known as Żuraw, is probably Gdańsk's best-known landmark. This historic city gate of brick and timber stands right on the Motława harbor and impresses with its dual function as a crane. Its origins go back to the 14th century, when an earlier structure was built that already served as a hoist for the river port. After a devastating fire in the 15th century, the building took on its present form in the Brick Gothic style. It is a gate with two half-round towers, whose 31-meter-high central section rises above the considerably lower flanking towers. The steep, tile-roofed architecture protects the city side, while the harbor side historically served as a loading facility.

During World War II, the gate was badly damaged and its wooden structure burned down. A painstaking reconstruction took place between 1957 and 1959, and since 1962 the building has been part of the National Maritime Museum. Today you can see its impressive technical equipment, which consists of two pairs of treadwheel cranes. These are located inside the stone central section and were once able to lift loads of up to four tons to heights of 11 or 27 meters. The mechanism includes hemp ropes, pulleys, and large treadwheels that were set in motion by several people.

Together with the Old Crane in Trier, the Crane Gate is one of the oldest surviving lifting devices of its kind in Europe. A special feature of the reconstruction is the hipped shape of the front gable, which has been topped by a crane-shaped weather vane since 1993. The gate is not only an architectural masterpiece but also a testament to the city's maritime history, firmly rooted in old coins and in the collective memory of its residents.