500 Years of Economic Power in Northern Europe
On the rise and end of the Hanseatic League
Some cities in northern Germany bear the epithet “Hanseatic city”. The best known: Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck. The term Hanseatic League originates from the Middle Ages and refers to a special-purpose association of merchants that guaranteed safe crossings on the seas and an economic representation of interests. While it were initially individual merchants who secured Hanseatic privileges, later entire towns on seacoasts, lakes and rivers joined the Hanseatic League. They were located in an area that today encompasses seven European states. It stretched in the north from Visby in Sweden and Bergen in Norway to the southern trade line Cologne- Breslau-Krakow, in the west from La Rochelle in France as well as Zwolle in the Netherlands. Stralsund and Wismar belonged to it, Danzig in Poland, Riga, Kaunas – in the heyday of the Hanseatic League there were up to 200 cities. At times the Hanseatic League was so powerful that it could impose economic blockades against kingdoms and wage wars with principalities. Most Hanseatic cities achieved great wealth, which can still be seen today in many important buildings. The coats of arms of many cities also bear witness to their Hanseatic history: White and red were the colours of the Hanseatic League. For over 500 years, the Hanseatic League had enormous importance for trade in Europe, until it was weakened by increasing competition. The Thirty Years' War in the mid-17th century destroyed fundamental trade relations and spelled the end for the once so powerful Hanseatic League. Three formerly important Hanseatic cities in Germany are presented on the following pages.
HANSEATIC CITY OF BREMEN
Bremen on the Weser is the second largest city in northern Germany and, with 2.7 million inhabitants, belongs to the European Metropolitan Region Northwest. Bremen’s history as a bishop’s town and merchant settlement dates back to the 8th century. In 1260 Bremen became a member of the Hanseatic League and began to flourish economically. After the end of the bishopric's ecclesiastical rule, the secular rulers erected the Roland as a sign of secular power. Today, the 10-metre-high Roland statue is regarded as a symbol of the defence of freedom and justice, and is, together with the town hall on Bremen’s market square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Probably the best-known landmark of the Hanseatic city is the Bremen Town Musicians: A bronze statue by Gerhard Marcks that recalls a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm in which a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster set out to find a better life in Bremen.
Picture: Statue of Roland on the market square erected in 1404. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
HANSEATIC CITY OF HAMBURG
The Hanseatic period meant upswing and prosperity for Hamburg. Hamburg acquired land along the Alster and Elbe rivers, Elbe islands were purchased and/or diked, and important religious buildings were erected, including St. Mary's Cathedral and the churches of St. Peter and St. Nicholas. The town hall, city fortifications and representative residential buildings were built. Unlike most German cities, Hamburg was spared during the Thirty Years' War; on the contrary, it benefited from the immigration of Dutch and from the modern Danish regency in nearby Altona. Later, overseas trade also became an advantage for Hamburg. The city developed into one of the most important trading centres in Europe, the port was the central hub and the gateway to the world. And it still is to this day. Today, containers dominate the scene in the Port of Hamburg. Container cargo now accounts for almost 99 percent of the total cargo handled in the Port of Hamburg. In 2020, the Port of Hamburg was the third largest in Europe, ranking 20th worldwide, just behind New York. Many of Hamburg's architectural and cultural highlights are also connected to the port, such as the world's largest historic warehouse complex, Speicherstadt, the Landungsbrücken and the Elbphilharmonie concert hall.
Picture: Statue of Roland on the market square erected in 1404. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
HANSEATIC CITY OF LÜBECK
In Lübeck, an entire city quarter is considered a World Heritage Site. The decisive factor for the UNESCO title is Lübeck's Old Town with its approximately 1800 listed buildings, which illustrates the power and historical role of the Hanseatic League. Lübeck is the oldest Hanseatic city in Germany. The word Hanseatic League possibly stems from "hense" or "henze" which denotes the fee that merchants and towns had to pay to become members of the Hanseatic League. This granted the Hanseatic merchants and the Hanseatic towns freedom from customs duties, trading privileges, military protection and security. This was particularly necessary after Lübeck had achieved great prosperity through the Hanseatic League. With five walls and fortifications, it protected itself against threats from outside. Today, two of them are still standing, one of which is the Holsten Gate, Lübeck's landmark. The city's most famous sons are undoubtedly the great writer brothers Thomas and Heinrich Mann. The Buddenbrookhaus in Mengstraße, which became world-famous due to Thomas Mann's novel, is now a museum and research centre of the Manns.
Picture: The Holsten Gate, built in 1464. UNESCO World Heritage Site.