Central Maritime Museum, Gdańsk, Poland

The history of the museum dates back to 1960 when the Pomeranian Museum (now the National Museum) set up an independent branch under the name “Maritime Department”. Two years later this department became a separate institution based in the famous Zuraw Crane in Gdansk. The museum then took over several barns on Olowianka Island. Apart from these and the Wielki Zuraw Crane the other divisions are the Fisheries Museum in Hel, the River Vistula Museum in Tczew and two ships, SS Soldek and Dar Pomorza. The newest addition is the Centre of Maritime Culture.

The museums’ collections relate to the history of ports, shipbuilding, shipping and trade. Among them are historic examples of the craft of shipbuilding, salvage, ship fittings, navigational equipment, propulsion systems, handguns and deck cannons, etc. There are also interesting collections of models of Slavic boats, Gdansk’s medieval ships, warships from the 16th and 17th centuries, Polish merchant and passenger ships between 1920 and 1939 and river boats and tugs built after 1945. The collection also includes examples of vessels from Oceania, Indonesia and Africa. The museum houses art collections with a maritime theme.

References:

Poland Travel

Museums in Poland

User Reviews

Karmi de Villiers (11 months ago)
Was a nice museum, quite interesting, but not much going on, and not a lot available in English, so you end up just looking at the models with some text. Still interesting with very cool historical maps and boats through history. Dont need more than 1 hour for this. There is another maritime museum just across the river that is more interactive, probably better for kids

Flip Coin (2 years ago)
Many exhibits and models documenting ships of the area, from ancient longboats to contemporary submarines. You can see the Crane Tower across the marina.

Tim R (2 years ago)
A great museum with plenty to see over 5 floors

M777 RMC (2 years ago)
Very interesting and rewarding. Many models of ships and various dioramas. It is better to plan 3-4 hours for a visit!!!!

Т М (3 years ago)
Perfect museum!! So many models, interactive installations, 4 floors of exhibitions of different times and places, from Vikings to modern Gdansk port. Additional floor for paintings of sea theme. Also you can visit exhibition on the real ship. And some real objects stay on the open area. Must be visited, especially for children and people with engineering skills.

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