New Exhibition at European Hansemuseum: Quite Privileged!

What does it actually mean to be ‘quite privileged’? Thanks to the Imperial Charter of Freedom issued in 1226, the Hanseatic city of Lübeck enjoyed a privileged position compared to its neighbours for centuries. With its numerous provisions, this historic document continues to shape the city to some extent even today.

Why was this document, now 800 years old, invoked in 1925 to settle a dispute between fishermen from Lübeck and Mecklenburg? Why did cities such as Kiel or Rostock seek the advice of Lübeck councillors in the Middle Ages when faced with difficult legal questions? And what exactly was Thomas Mann referring to when, in a lecture, he sought to define Lübeck as a ‘spiritual way of life’?

The special exhibition at the European Hansemuseum explores these and many other questions through numerous objects from the past and present. It sheds light on the various consequences of Lübeck’s privileged status and examines the impact the Imperial Charter of Freedom had on the city of Lübeck, municipal law, the economy and the development of a ‘Lübeck’ identity.