Unique destinations - "Wedding crane" yet to have wedding ceremony despite long waitlist
Thousands desire to celebrate their wedding at the newly refurbished Hellingkrane located in Rostock's harbor. Its waiting list is flooded with couples eager to tie the knot amidst the heavens, according to Roland Methling, the chairman of Förderverein Tradition Ostseeschifffahrt, which manages the gigantic crane. If all goes well, the harbor equipment would emerge as the sixth wedding hub in Rostock. Notably, it would also be the tallest, boasting a towering height of approximately 30 meters.
Currently, discussions are underway to confirm if the Hellingkrane meets the occupational health and safety requirements to function as a registry office, as per the city administration. As of now, the crane has not yet hosted a single wedding ceremony. The association is optimistic about receiving an exemption.
Total expenditure towards the finished restoration is expected to be approximately two million euros. This costs were initially projected at 1.5 million euros, yet took an additional three years to complete. Of the total amount spent, 840,000 euros was provided through state funds acquired through the EU. A newly installed lift is one of many inclusions, although one can also ascend the 136 steps towards the wedding venue using the spiral staircase. The first open day for the crane took place on Valentine's Day.
The former machine room of the crane can comfortably house around 30-40 people. A steel staircase within the crane facilitates ascending it for ceremonies. Inside, the bridal suite has been created, complete with a king-sized bed, a bathroom, a toilet, and a small kitchen. The low grainy brown floor perfectly matches the harbor-based industrial atmosphere of the room.
Crane operators of the 1970s and 1980s would probably be mesmerized to learn that the crane would someday house marriages and weddings. Built in 1976, the Hellingkrane has a storied past and served in the Rostock Neptun shipyard, lifting hefty steel sheets to fuel shipbuilding employment for nearly two centuries in the Hanseatic city.
