Żuraw

On the 7th of August, 2012 I headed into the heart of Gdańsk. My goal was to buy some concert tickets, but the booking venue was closed, so I wandered around town instead. The building on the right of this photo is Żuraw - a medieval port crane. The oldest mention of this crane is in 1367, but it has been partially destroyed and rebuilt several times since then. First, in 1442, the structure burnt down and was rebuilt, and again, during World War II, the wooden portion of the crane was burnt down and rebuilt. This photo is taken from the opposite bank of the Motława river, which flows through Gdańsk, and next to the Maritime Museum, which actually spans both sides of the river, as part of the museum is located in Żuraw itself. A ferry, also called the Motława, transports the museum visitors between the two locations. 


As in English, the word 'żuraw' is used both for a machine that that lifts things and for the tall, gangly bird.