The flying ships of Gdansk

In the early modern era the city of Gdansk lived off the trade between Poland and the rest of Europe. Especially The Netherlands, a tiny country with the world colonial empire, was partly fed by Poland. Polish grain was carried down the Vistula river to Gdansk and from there in big ships to Amsterdam. The ships were the pride of Gdansk. Their models decorated public buildings in the city. They still do. Today they can be seen floating in the air in Dwor Artusa, the old guildhall of sailors. 
Some of these models are said to be exact copies of actual ships. In reality it was the other way around, the model served as a blueprint for shipbuilders and when the ship was ready, the model was exhibited in the guildhall. There are other models that are not copies of any real ships. Some were built in modern times but based on paintings from the era. One, a model of a Turkish galley, was built by a man who spent some time as a slave on one but later escaped.