Sołdek Museum Ship

What to expect

The Sołdek in Gdansk is a museum in which the exhibit is the ship itself: instead of galleries there are holds, an engine room and the quarters where the crew of a steam ore-and-coal carrier lived. Since 17 July 1985 the ship has been open to visitors as a branch of the National Maritime Museum (Narodowe Muzeum Morskie).

On deck and below it you will see four holds, cargo-handling equipment, crew quarters and a fully equipped engine room. The museum draws attention to the welded-riveted hull, of a kind no longer found today, and to the raised quarterdeck. Below deck there is also the exhibition “Sołdek i jego czasy” (The Sołdek and Its Times), built with modern media.

Two sources describe what makes the ship unique. The museum calls the Sołdek the only steam-powered ore-and-coal carrier that survives anywhere in the world today. The English Wikipedia adds that it was the first ship built in Gdansk after the Second World War and the first seagoing ship completed in Poland.

Visitors rate the ship highly: on Google Maps it has 4.7 out of 5 from 3254 reviews (read on 25 October 2026).

Who it suits: anyone curious about engineering and the history of shipping who wants to see from the inside how a post-war cargo ship worked and how its crew lived - from the engine room to the crew quarters. Who should skip it: wheelchair users. According to the museum, the ship is not adapted for them: it has steep stairs, very narrow passages and no lifts, which the local news site Głos Gdańska also confirms. For the same reasons it is hard going with a pushchair.

How long: the Sołdek is a single ship, not a complex of exhibitions, so it will not take a whole day. It is best treated as part of a longer visit to the National Maritime Museum, for which the museum sells a combined ticket with its permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Tips

• Where to buy a ticket. According to the museum, tickets for the Sołdek are sold at the ticket offices of the National Maritime Museum and the Maritime Culture Centre (Ośrodek Kultury Morskiej). Prices: standard ticket 23 PLN (about 5 EUR), reduced 17 PLN (about 4 EUR).
• A ticket for two ships. Besides the combined ticket with the main building, the museum sells the “Statki” (Ships) combined ticket for the Sołdek and the “Dar Pomorza” in Gdynia; the prices of both combined tickets are in the price list on the museum’s website (linked in the practical information box). The “Statki” ticket only makes sense if you really are going to Gdynia on the same trip.
• Wednesdays from the afternoon. On Wednesdays the ship opens later than on other days (on Wednesdays 13:00-16:00), so pick another day for a morning visit.
• Shorter hours in winter. For December 2026 the museum announces earlier closing times for the ship than in November; check the hours on its website before your visit.
• Toilet and lockers on shore. Free lockers and a toilet are in the National Maritime Museum building. Leave a large backpack there before you go on board, because the passages on the ship are very narrow.
• Accessibility. The ship has no lift and no accessible toilet, and assistance dogs cannot go on board. For people with limited mobility the museum offers a free station with a 3D virtual walk through the exhibitions, in the main hall of the National Maritime Museum.
• Audio guide on your phone. The audio guide runs as the Movi Guide mobile app, in Polish and English; the captions in the exhibition are in both languages too. It is best to download the app before you go on board.
• Groups of 60 at most. No more than 60 people may be on the ship at once, so a larger group has to go in in turns. Guided tours in Polish or English, for groups of up to 30, are booked at rezerwacje.nmm.pl; the prices are in the museum’s price list.

Getting there

• Address: ul. Ołowianka 9-13, 80-751 Gdańsk.
• Nearest stops: according to the ZTM Gdańsk timetable, the stops closest to the ship are “Żuraw 01” (about 117 m), “Targ Rybny 01” (about 242 m) and “Targ Chlebowy 01” (about 383 m); all of them are served by line 100 only.
• Tram and bus: the museum directs visitors to the “Akademia Muzyczna” stop and gives a 1000 m walk from there, about 12 minutes. According to the ZTM Gdańsk timetable, trams 8 and 9 stop there, as do buses 106, 111, 112, 138, 166, 178, 186, 212 and C80 and the night lines N8, N9 and N78.
• SKM commuter rail: the museum suggests taking the SKM to Gdańsk Główny station and walking from there over the footbridge to Ołowianka; it gives 1800 m, about 22 minutes on foot.
• By bike: there are 10 bicycle spaces at the entrance to the National Maritime Museum.
• By car: the museum has no free parking spaces for cars or coaches; there is only paid parking nearby.

Nearby

A visit to the ship is easy to combine with one of these two museums, which lie within about 600 m in a straight line:

• Maritime Culture Centre, ul. Tokarska 21-25 - about 100 m in a straight line. Its ticket office also sells tickets for the Sołdek.
• DeJa Vu Museum - Museum of Illusions , Długie Ogrody 18 - about 600 m in a straight line.