Hanseatic Day in Riga / Latvia

Hanseatic cities in 16 countries

19-22 August 2021

This was the Hanseatic Day 2021!

The 41st International Hanseatic Day took place as a hybrid event online and in the Latvian capital of Riga. Videos of the events can be found here!

194 cities in 16 countries

The Hanseatic League

The first organized economic interest group, which has significantly influenced trade, business and politics in Northern Europe for over 400 years. Who were the allies at that time? You will find an overview of all cities, localities and trade contacts here.

To the hanseatic cities

Ehm Aussenansicht Nah Quer Thomas Radbruch

Hansemuseum Lübeck

A great success

When Low German merchants from Soest, Münster, Groningen and Lübeck moored on the banks of the river Neva in 1193 they did not know that they were among the founders of a powerful association, which became known from the 14th century onwards as the „Dudesche Hense“.

King's Lynn celebrates the Hanse Day

08. September 2021

The town’s rich Hanseatic heritage will once again be celebrated with the return of the King's Lynn Hanse Day on 11th September 2021. Discover King's Lynn's medieval merchants and its trading links to the Hanseatic League!

The Hanseatic League

From the Middle Ages to modern times

The "Artlenburger Privilege" of 1161, exhibited by Henry the Lion to pacify Dutch merchants and Gotland rivals, can be regarded as a predecessor of the Hanseatic League. In the mid-thirteenth century, North German seafaring merchants joined together to form the Hanseatic League as a way to pursue their shared economic interests. Throughout the North Sea and Baltic Sea region, up to 200 towns and cities were members of the League, as were several large trading houses.

The Hanseatic League, 400 years of trading power
For over 400 years, the Hanseatic League played a major role in shaping economies, trade and politics in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. The long-distance trade makes important Hanseatic cities prosperous at this time, and makes up a self-confident merchant team. The hanseatic days were established from 1356 onwards.

The downfall of the Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League lost its importance in a creeping process from the middle of the fifteenth century until 1669, where the last hanseatic day took place.

The new Hanseatic League was created in 1980
Today, the Hanseatic League has been brought back to life. The “new” Hanseatic League was revived in 1980 in Zwolle, and set itself the task of keeping alive the spirit of the League as a social and cultural alliance.

The hanseatic days of the modern era as a feast of cultures
By cultivating traditions and encouraging a vibrant exchange between its members, especially in the hanseatic days of modern times, the Hanseatic League aims to bring about closer economic, cultural, social and national ties across Europe.