Crane Gate

The Crane is a historic gate located in a place of unknown origin that dates back to 1363. A Latin mention of a "caranum crane" was recorded in 1367. The Crane was built in its current form between the years 1442 and 1444, featuring two massive brick towers and a wooden crane mechanism. The structure was later expanded and has a Flemish Gothic style, although the facades of the gate facing the Motława and the city appear different.

In the early 17th century, the Crane lost its military significance and over time, the brick towers were converted into workshops and inhabited spaces. Window openings were added during renovations. The crane served as a crucial port device, primarily used for loading goods and ballast onto ships and erecting the masts of vessels. It was powered by people walking inside two pairs of treadmill wheels with a diameter of approximately six meters each. The mechanism was capable of lifting a weight of two tons to a height of 27 meters or, when both pairs of wheels were combined, four tons to a height of 11 meters.

However, in 1945, the crane was set on fire during the capture of the city by the Red Army and the wooden part was destroyed. The remaining walls were reconstructed in the late 1950s, and on December 18, 1959, the crane was officially recognized as a monument and entered into the register of monuments.