The Alter Krahnen, also known as the Trierer Alter Moselkran, is a harbor crane in Trier. It is a stone construction from 1413 and stands on the right bank of the Moselle, on what is now Krahnenufer. The crane is built as a tower crane with two running wheels, a double outrigger, a 360° rotatable cone roof with a vertical wooden axle on an iron pin and a chain drum with chain and simple pulley. The carrying capacity is estimated at one to two tons.
The Alter Krahnen is a cultural-historical, industrial and economic symbol of the city of Trier. Together with the Danziger Krantor from the 14th century, the Alter Krahnen is one of the oldest lifting devices of this type in the former German-speaking area, of which there were more than 30 on the Rhine and its tributaries alone in the 16th century.
More than 350 years later, the Alter Krahnen served as an example for the Zollkran, which is about 250 meters upstream and had to relieve the predecessor with its two outriggers. This younger harbor crane was in operation until 1910. However, the Alter Krahnen was renovated in the 18th century and equipped with a second girder. To date, it is fully functional, but since the filling of the Moselle, it is no longer close enough to the water.