Polish-Norwegian study visits marked by the Gdańsk Crane

These are the subsequent international study visits within the project related to the renovation and modernization of the Gdańsk Crane, aimed at cooperating and exchanging the knowledge and experience between partners. At the turn of June, the museum experts from the Stiftelsen Museum Vest in Norway visited Gdańsk, Tczew and Kąty Rybackie, while in the second half of the month a delegation from the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk visited the Norwegian Bergen.

Models and mock-ups in the spotlight

The representatives of Stiftelsen Museum Vest were part of the so-called “modelling group”; therefore, the program of their visit focused primarily on issues related to the construction and maintenance of models and marine mock-ups. During the first day of their stay, the guests were guided by Dr.Habil.Eng. Jerzy Litwin, senior director of NMM, around the permanent exhibition in the Granaries at Ołowianka. The models of boats, sailing ships, punts, yachts, ships and merchant vessels are one of the most important exhibits on display and an important part of its narrative. Then the group visited the temporary exhibition “Truso. A Baltic legend”, where Paweł Litwinienko, an underwater archaeologist, presented the process of designing the exhibition and its most interesting exhibits. The guests were particularly interested in the wreck of a boat from the Viking Age, displayed in the central place at the exhibition. Moreover, the museum experts from Norway had an opportunity to visit specialist workshops located in the Granaries. During the modelling workshop, they were presented with a model of the Crane mechanism, constructed in the workshop, and in the Digitization Department they learned the museum equipment use to scan the historic treasures and the software for creating 3D models. After visiting the Granaries, thanks to the courtesy of the Management of the Gdańsk Museum, the guests also visited the Artus Court.

Maintenance of wooden objects and traditional boatbuilding

In subsequent days, the group went to the branches of NMM in Tczew and Kąty Rybackie. In the Shipwreck Conservation Centre, Dr. Eng. Katarzyna Schaefer – Rychel from the NMM Conservation Department presented the laboratory and the conservation and X-ray workshops. The most interesting aspects of wood conservation were presented by the conservator Irena Jagielska. The final part of the visit involved a visit to the Museum of the Vistula Lagoon, guided by Magdalena Woźniak, the head of the branch. The museum experts from Norway were impressed by the Lagoon boatbuilding, as well as the similarity of local boatbuilding and fishing tools to those used in the north of Norway. The entire stay of the Norwegian partners was supervised by Kamila Jezierewska from the NMM Education Department.

Visit of the NMM delegation to Bergen

Shortly after the Stiftelsen Museum Vest guests’ visit, the museum experts from NMM had a study visit to Norway. The delegation included the representatives of the Education Department: Kamila Jezierewska and Dr. Eng. Weronika Pelc – Garska, as well as the representative of the Investment and Renovation Department, Małgorzata Kowalska. Together with them, a model of the Gdańsk Crane flew to Norway, and then was handed over to Jens Hammerås from the Museum Vest.

Educational workshops and … blacksmithing workshops

The program of their stay included a visit to the Fisheries Museum and the Maritime Museum in Bergen. There, in addition to the guided tour around the exhibition, the museum experts had an opportunity to discuss the Crane renovation and modernization project, among others with the museum director, Per Kristian Sebak. The consecutive day of the visit began with a tour of the Finnegården branch, currently under renovation. The NMM employees could enter the construction site and learn some of the aspects of the facility renovation. Then, during an open educational event, Dr. Eng. Weronika Pelc-Garska presented the model of the Gdańsk Crane and talked to the participating children about the principles of simple machine operation. The guests were accompanied by the Director of the Museum Vest Oyvind Stang. An unconventional element in the program included a trip to the beautifully located Coastal Museum in Øygarden, where the Polish delegation visited e.g., the nearby fish farm. The museum experts from NMM, during the specially arranged workshops, had an opportunity to forge their own fishing hooks.

The visit to Bergen in Norway, in addition to the possibility to present the NMM achievements of NMM as part of the project, resulted in a number of inspiring experiences for the NMM delegation, in the field of education and the museum construction projects.

The project “Maintenance, renovation and modernization of the Gdańsk Crane – a branch of the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk with the creation of a new permanent exhibition” is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.

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