Alter Kran

The old crane is Lüneburg’s secret landmark. A crane on the Illmenau is mentioned for the first time in 1346. Two wooden carrying wheels – with which the crane once lightened heavy loads - are hidden inside this still fully functioning industrial memorial. When Lüneburg was connected to the railway network in 1846, the crane became redundant. Today this structurally engineered memorial is very close to the heart of Lüneburg’s inhabitants and lovingly tended.

 

For more than 2,500 years, heavy loads were being lifted with the help of carrying wheels. Lüneburg’s crane was re-built in 1797 according to medieval plans. Time and again it is said that the hard work inside the carne was conducted by convicts. But this demanding work was actually done by skilled workers who were employed as stevedores at the warehouse on the opposite side.

You can only get inside the crane when taking one of the guided tours of the city.