ShipYard ZL028 Holztretkran Am Hansehafen Stade 1661 skala 1:72

Stade (or Stood) is a German port city that is today in the Land of Lower Saxony at the mouth of the Elbe River into the North Sea. The first mentions of this town appear as early as in the 10th century, and due to its location, the town quickly began to play an important role in maritime trade. It also joined the Hanseatic League. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) the city was under Swedish occupation for many years. In order to recover from the devastation caused by this war, in 1661 a large wooden crane (German Holtztretkran) was commissioned in Stade. The mechanism was based on two large wooden wheels which were set in motion by the force of human muscles. The loads were lifted and lowered by winding ropes on a special drum. It is worth adding that the original crane was destroyed in 1898, and now you can only see its reconstruction, which was built in 1977.