The Gdańsk Medieval Crane. What a beauty.

The nerds have spoken soooo more on this Gdansk medieval crane…😎The structure featured two massive towers, with ground floor walls up to 4 meters thick. Between these towers was a wooden crane structure, which overhung the quay and was supported by two brackets that secured the gate clearance. This crane was used for handling heavy goods and mounting masts on ships. Initially, its driving mechanism consisted of one pair of treadwheels, later expanded to two pairs, with transversely mounted spokes where workers walked to set the wheels in motion. This motion wound or unwound a rope with a hook on a shaft connecting the wheels, which conveyed the load to the hoisting hatch. The upper set of drums could lift 2 tonnes to a height of about 30 meters, while the coupled sets could lift 4 tonnes to a height of 11 meters.

The crane’s heyday was in the 16th and 17th centuries, when Gdansk was one of Europe’s most important ports. In the 18th century, it saw declining use, and by the 19th century, its lower floors housed small shops and workshops, while the upper floors became home to the poor. During World War II, the crane was largely destroyed, along with 80% of the buildings in the Main Town. After the war, it was meticulously reconstructed.

The crane is one of the few reconstructed historic treasures of medieval port technology in Europe.

This crane is both an engineering and architectural masterpiece. What do you think?