Most Stągiewny, Gdańsk

Most Stągiewny is the bridge across the Nowa Motława, linking Granary Island with Długie Ogrody. Its name comes from nearby Stągiewna Gate, whose tower reminded earlier Gdańsk residents of stągwie; the bridge and the street beginning at its western end took the same name. A crossing over the town moat is recorded here in 1456, and a drawbridge replaced it after the Nowa Motława was dug in 1576.

In the seventeenth century, chains running over four pylons lifted the span. Later, the machinery disappeared into the abutments, yet eight people still had to operate it together. The bridge became a steel swing bridge in 1864, then a broader flap bridge in 1937, before conversion to a fixed crossing in 1973.

The pedestrian bridge now in use reopened on the fifth of July 2022 after reconstruction. Its design recalls the Schwedler bridge, while retaining older abutments and a former engine chamber. Notice the waterway passing beneath: this modest crossing has repeatedly changed shape as Gdańsk’s traffic and harbour life changed around it.