Attraction in Gdańsk

National Maritime Museum and SS Sołdek

Gdańsk's National Maritime Museum spreads across historic granaries on Ołowianka Island and the opposite Motława bank, with the SS Sołdek, a post-war Gdańsk-built cargo ship, moored alongside as a floating museum you can board.

Reviewed and updated July 2026

National Maritime Museum and SS Soldek — Photo: DerHexer / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk tells the story of Poland at sea, spread across a set of historic granaries on Ołowianka Island and the opposite bank of the Motława. The draw for most visitors is the SS Sołdek, the first seagoing ship built at the Gdańsk shipyard after the Second World War, moored outside as a floating museum you can walk through. Between the two banks, the exhibitions cover Polish seafaring, shipbuilding and port history in the setting where much of it happened.

Inside the granaries on Ołowianka

The main exhibitions fill restored brick granaries on Ołowianka Island, tracing Poland's seafaring, shipbuilding and port history. You will find ship models, navigation instruments, salvaged cargo and objects raised from Baltic wrecks, alongside material on Gdańsk's long life as a trading and shipbuilding port. The riverside position puts the displays directly opposite the old waterfront, which keeps the subject close to the actual river traffic outside.

Boarding the SS Sołdek

The SS Sołdek is the reason many people cross the water. Built at the Gdańsk shipyard, it was the first seagoing ship completed there after the Second World War, a bulk carrier that later became a preserved museum vessel. You can walk the deck and go below to see the engine room and crew spaces, which gives a direct sense of working life aboard a post-war Polish cargo ship rather than a display behind glass.

Crossing the Motława by ferry

The museum occupies both banks of the Motława, and a small ferry links the two sides. On the Ołowianka side you get the granary exhibitions and the moored Sołdek; the opposite bank holds further museum buildings along the old quay. The short crossing is part of the visit and saves a longer walk around the waterways to reach the other branch.

Fitting it into a Gdańsk visit

Ołowianka sits just across the water from Gdańsk's main waterfront, so the museum pairs naturally with a walk along the Długie Pobrzeże quay and into the Old Town. Allow a couple of hours if you want to see both the exhibitions and the ship rather than one or the other. Our Gdańsk guide covers how the maritime museum sits alongside the rest of the city's riverside sights.

Good to know

A ferry crosses the Motława between the museum's two banks, so if you want both the granary exhibitions and the SS Sołdek, look for a combined ticket and check the museum's official site for current fares and sailing times.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. The ship is open as a floating museum, so you can walk the deck and go below into spaces such as the engine room and crew quarters. Check the museum's official channels for current opening hours.

It is the first seagoing ship built at the Gdańsk shipyard after the Second World War, a cargo vessel that is now preserved and moored beside the museum on the Motława as an exhibit you can board.

A ferry crosses the Motława, linking the branches on Ołowianka Island with the museum buildings on the opposite bank, so you do not have to walk the long way round.

More attractions in Gdańsk

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Long Market

The grand main thoroughfare of Gdansk, a wide promenade of merchant facades running from the Golden Gate to the river.

Fontanna Neptuna

The bronze Neptune Fountain, cast in the early 17th century, has stood in front of the Artus Court since 1633 and became the symbol of Gdansk. Local legend claims the god's trident scattered gold flakes into the water, inspiring the herbal liqueur Goldwasser.

Bazylika Mariacka

One of the largest brick churches in the world, this vast Gothic basilica can hold up to 25,000 people. Climb its 405 steps to a viewing terrace for a sweeping panorama over the red rooftops of the old town.

Zuraw

The medieval port crane on the Motlawa riverfront is the largest medieval port crane in Europe, once able to lift loads of up to two tonnes using giant human-powered treadwheels. It now forms part of the National Maritime Museum.

Green Gate (Zielona Brama)

The Green Gate is a Renaissance gateway from the 1560s that closes the eastern end of Gdansk's Long Market where it meets the Motlawa River, now home to a branch of the National Museum in Gdansk and a photography gallery.

Wisloujscie Fortress

A well-preserved brick fortress at the mouth of the Vistula in Gdańsk's port district, built around a medieval tower and later ringed with bastion defences. It now operates as a branch of the Museum of Gdańsk.