The Hanseatic League

1 - About 800 years ago, several towns on the Baltic Sea joined together to form an alliance called the Hanseatic League. At first, groups of merchants banded together so they could trade safely. As trade grew, so did the towns where the merchants settled. The towns then provided protection, and everyone benefited from trade. 2 - People bought and sold products from western Europe, such as cloth and wine, as well as natural goods from the east, such as honey, timber, wax and furs. 3 - The Hanseatic League flourished between 1250 and 1400. It had trading posts, known as kontors, throughout the Baltic region and further inland. The most important Hanseatic towns on the Baltic Sea were Lübeck, Danzig, Visby and Riga. Other major Hanseatic towns on Germany’s Baltic coast included Wismar, Stralsund and Greifswald. The Hanseatic town of Novgorod in Russia could also be reached by ship. It was important for trade with Russia.

4 - Further west, Bremen, Hamburg, Lüneburg and the Norwegian city of Bergen were among the members of the Hanseatic League. Magnificent buildings were built in all these cities to display the merchants’ wealth. 5 - The most important means of transport for merchant trade was the cog. Compared with earlier ships, these sailing vessels could carry heavier loads and were also cheap to build. 6 - From the 15th century onwards, the Hanseatic League declined in importance. New land trade routes emerged, powerful princes took control of the cities, and eventually America was discovered. As a result, trade and shipping shifted increasingly to the Atlantic. 7 - Even today, some cities proudly call themselves “Hanseatic cities”. Football clubs also evoke those olden days in their names. One of the best-known clubs in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, for example, is Hansa Rostock.