Grue Applevage n°14, Crane in the port of Lympia, Nice, France

Grue Applevage n°14 is an old electric crane standing on rails at the western quay of the port of Lympia in Nice. Its red-brown metal lattice jib rises above the water, with a small cabin set on a four-legged base and a hook hanging from a cable at the top.

Built in 1937 by the Parisian company Applevage, the crane first worked on the Commerce basin unloading coal and other goods. After wartime damage it was rebuilt in 1956, then moved to the Amiraux basin in 1966 when its sister machine and other cranes were scrapped.

The crane still carries the number 14 painted on its side, a leftover from the time when it worked alongside a twin machine and was part of the everyday unloading of cargo. Visitors today see it as a quiet piece of port furniture, with people walking past it on their way to the boats or the restaurants along the quay.

You can walk along the quay and see the crane up close from the water's edge, with ferries and cargo ships sometimes docking nearby. The flat surrounding area makes it easy to approach on foot, though the rails and the working port mean you should stay on the pedestrian side.

This is the last surviving piece of the port's old handling equipment, since all its companions were cut up in the early 1990s. Despite its age, it was still lifting loads until 1998, when its jib was finally locked in place.