The old City Cra­ne Ut­recht

Experience the old City Crane Utrecht! A life-size working replica of the 15th century wooden crane that stood along the Oudegracht. You can set it in motion.

The first Utrecht city crane was built in 1402 at the Ganzenmarkt, at the corner of the Oudegracht opposite the Waag. There, goods such as wine barrels and bags of grain were hoisted out of boats with that crane and brought ashore, to be weighed in the Waag for taxation. Over the centuries, there were several versions of the City Crane, made of wood and stone. They all had that onion-shaped swivel head (the 'onion cap'), which makes it possible to swivel the crane. The crane remained in use for centuries, until it collapsed in 1839. When hoisting the cast iron statues for the Winkel van Sinkel, the boom broke off at the last statue, and the statue and boom ended up in the Oudegracht. Since 2022, a rebuilt of the City Crane stands near the Monica Bridge. It is 13.50 meters high, and weighs about 30 tons. It has been built at the Vreeswijk Museum Shipyard in Nieuwegein, and been transported to Utrecht by ship.

Step in the treat wheel

Inside the crane, the two large tread wheels and the hoisting and swiveling gear are clearly visible to visitors. You can - under the watchful eye of the 'craenmeester' – step in one of the tread wheels, and hoist and swivel the crane yourself, a unique experience! Unique, because Stadskraan Utrecht is the only crane with wheels in Europe that can still be set in motion.