National Maritime Museum, Gdańsk
| Narodowe Muzeum Morskie | |
Crane - the first place of Museum
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| Former name | Centralne Muzeum Morskie (Central Maritime Muzeum), Polskie Muzeum Morskie (Polish Maritime Museum) |
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| Established | 1 January 1962 |
| Location | Gdańsk, Poland |
| Coordinates | 54°21′04″N 18°39′32″E / 54.351040°N 18.659°E |
| Type | Maritime museum |
| Collection size | over 28 thousands objects |
| Director | Jerzy Litwin |
| Website | nmm |
The National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk (Polish: Narodowe Muzeum Morskie) is a maritime museum in Gdańsk, Poland, established on the 1st of January 1962. It is dedicated to gathering, researching and preserving artifacts and documents concerning ship transport, international trade, fishing and culture of people working at sea, rivers and those ashore – as well as the dissemination of knowledge on maritime history of Poland and its economy through the ages.
In 1958, a Museum's Friends Association was established, and with the participation of Przemysław Smolarek (employee of the National Museum, Szczecin), the Association organised an exhibition titled From a paddle to a nuclear drive in Artus Court in Gdańsk. Przemysław Smolarek lobbed for the creation of a dedicated maritime museum in Poland and his efforts were successful: in 1959, by the decision of adequate authorities (government ministers aided by the Museum of Technology, Warsaw), such a museum was formed in Gdańsk. Przemysław Smolarek was tasked with the preparation work. The Museum was officially established on 1 January 1962, and Smolarek was nominated its director. He remained at this position until his death in 1991.
At first the Museum was located in the medieval Gdańsk Crane, but soon started to branch out. In 1963 the first branch – the Lighthouse Museum in the Rozewie Lighthouse – was opened, followed by the Fishery Museum on Hel Peninsula in 1972. In 1972 the institution has been renamed Polish Maritime Museum and granted the status of a national institution.
In 1977 the Museum gained a restored building adjacent to the Crane, and opened a department there named Skład Kolonialny (The Colonial Collection). In 1984, further branches were opened – the Vistula River Museum in Tczew, as well as the sailing vessel Dar Pomorza (previously training vessel of Maritime Academy of Gdynia), which had been converted into a museum ship and a new branch of the Maritime Museum. The next museum ship joining Maritime Museum's “fleet” was Sołdek – the first ocean-going ship (steamer) built in Gdańsk after World War II. It was handed over to the Museum in 1989. Also in 1989, the Museum gained the restored granaries on Ołowianka, an island forming the center of the old port in Gdańsk. Since 2000, 5 granaries belong to the Museum and have been converted into the main Museum building.
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