The Crane is one of the defining symbols of Gdańsk and represents what little is left of the city’s great trading age. First mentioned in 1367 the original structure burnt down in 1442 before its current design was created in 1442-1444. As a working crane it was used to transfer cargoes and to put up masts on ships. At one time this was the biggest working crane in the world but it also served a defense function and as one of the gates to the city. It had a lifting capacity of 4 tons to a height of 36 feet and this was achieved by two huge wooden wheels at its heart each with a diameter of 20 feet. These wheels were originally powered by men walking inside of them to turn the lifting mechanism. It remained a working crane until the middle of the 19th century and was 80% destroyed in 1945 in The Battle for Gdańsk. It still houses one of the gates to the Old City.