Researching the routes of Jacob pilgrimage within the Hanseatic Region, between Bruges in the west, Gdansk and Novgorod in the east, Brunswick and Magdeburg in the south, Lübeck, Visby and the Baltic Sea in the North, that is a project of the Hanseatic League. Working on it has begun in 2002, already.

The Jacob Route in the strict sense of the word was the way from Puente de la Reina to Santiago de Compostela. In France, there were four routes to approach Spain and Santiago. The places in France were only gathering points for pilgrims from all of Europe. So, the pilgrimage to Santiago already connected Europe in the late middle ages.

The pilgrims started to Santiago from nearly all Hanseatic towns and doing so, they followed the great trade routes. On their way they frequented special hostels and hospitals. The extension of the Jacob cult is equally depicting the importance of the pilgrimage. Throughout the Hanseatic region, there are nearly everywhere records, remnants, monuments.

The Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe has started a research project on Jacob routes on its own. There are a number of towns or regions where research has been done already, where knowledge has been acquired, published or not yet published. The inner connection of the Hanseatic region will become visible through working on the Jacob route. The results of the project will further incite to visit the Hanseatic towns and face their past.