Photos

My today's picture shows the so called "Old Crane" on the riverbank of Moselle in Trier.

This crane with its pivotable cone roof was built in 1413 and it first has had only one extension arm. In 1778 a second extension arm was added in order to get a balance element. Its vertical 12 m high wooden axis is supported by an iron pivot. It's lifting capacity is estimated to be 1 to 2 tons.
Besides the port crane of Gdansk (in German: Danziger Krantor; in Polish: Żuraw Gdański) from 1367 this crane is the oldest in the former German language area. Already in 1452 the crane devolved to the town because the owners family with the dead of the builder's son died out.
This Trier crane (there's another one from 1774 in Trier, only 250 m away) was in use until 1910! In the 16th century on the banks of Rhine river and its tributaries there have been about 30 cranes like this one.
Its "motor" is a simple treadmill - two big wheels like in a hamster's cage - which was actuated by so called crane servants.The today wheels, ascertained in a dendrochronologic investigation, were made in 1778 and 1863. The crane still today is fully functional.

Here you can see the crane on a copper engraving from 1646 - still without the later installed heating.

In the workshop you can see the wheel and the axis with the iron pivot.

Using the map view function left hand you can see the Old Crane from above.