TALK 5: The Hanseatic League

It was a network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe which developed into a powerful association of cities. These medieval ‘merchant guilds’ were known as Hanses with Lübeck on the Baltic Sea their Headquarters. For more than 400 years, the Hanseatic League shaped the economy, trade and politics of northern Europe.
The commodities traded included pitch, beeswax and timber from the Baltic states; wine and dyes from France, Spain and Portugal; furs from Russia; cloth and soap from Bruges; hunting birds and salted fish from Norway; honey and dried fish from Iceland and wool, cloth, linen, leather and barrels from Beverley.

The cultural heritage of the Hanseatic era is still visible in many places today - not only on the coasts of the North Sea and Baltic Sea. From the smallest Hanseatic town of Straupe in Latvia with only 400 inhabitants to pulsating metropolises such as Hamburg or Cologne. The Hanse were innovators. They built their own specially designed ships to maximise cargo loads between staples – distribution centres. To transport goods,they used a standard water-tight barrel – many of which were made in Beverley. They spread the risk of cargoes across multiple owners – a practice that led to modern day insurance such as Lloyds of London.

Today, the Hanseatic cities are reconnecting with their great past: The Union of Cities ‘The Hansa’ was founded in Zwolle in 1980 to revive the common cultural heritage and, with almost 200 member cities,

Timings & Tours

Monday 09 September:

1000

Location & directions

Wrecking Ball Music and Books, 15 Whitefriargate, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU1 2ER

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking not required

Accessibility details

Please note the lecture room is accessed by a flight of stairs.

Additional information

Est. tour duration:

1 hour(s)

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