youthHansa delegates visit Stade

Over the weekend of 16-18 May, the Hanseatic city of Stade hosted a meeting of North German youth delegates for the first time after the pandemic. The aim was to give young people the opportunity to exchange ideas and get in the mood together in the run-up to the International Hanseatic Day. The weekend was thoroughly Hanseatic: not only did the event coincide with the Day of the Hansa on 17 May. The programme also included a guided tour of the city, which explored the importance of Stade in the context of the Hanseatic League from its entry to its ‘Verhansung’, as well as a sailing trip on the ‘EWA Frieda’ on the Elbe.

The spokesperson for the international youthHansa was invited as a speaker to introduce the Union of Cities and the youthHansa to the delegates, who were attending the meeting for the first time. In particular, the idea of regional youthHansa groups was discussed in more detail during the joint exchange and participants were very interested in founding a Lower Saxony youthHansa modelled on the Rhenish or Dutch youthHansa networks. The highlight of the programme was the Hanse Song Festival on Saturday evening: Newcomer singers performed at several venues throughout the evening.

Overall, all participants can look back on an entertaining event, and the anticipation of the Hanseatic Day in Visby grew all the more!