National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk, Maritime museum in Gdańsk, Poland
The National Maritime Museum operates across eight separate locations throughout Gdańsk, including the medieval Crane, restored granary buildings on Ołowianka Island, and two preserved ships serving as floating exhibitions. The collections feature ship models, paintings, navigation instruments, and documents that document seafaring traditions and merchant activities.
Founded in 1960 and opened in 1962, this institution emerged from a modest exhibition on naval propulsion to become Poland's primary center for maritime heritage. Over decades, it expanded its scope to reflect Gdańsk's role as a major Baltic port.
The collections reveal how the Baltic Sea shaped Gdańsk's identity and economy for centuries. Visitors encounter stories of merchants, craftspeople, and sailors who made this city a major port.
The museum is distributed across multiple buildings throughout the city, with main galleries in granary buildings on an island accessible by foot from the city center. Plan to visit several locations since the collection is not housed in a single structure.
A specialized conservation center in nearby Tczew preserves ships and cargo recovered from the Baltic Sea bed, allowing visitors to watch restorers carefully uncover these underwater discoveries. This work reveals how many vessels have sunk in these waters and how much maritime history remains hidden below.
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