TRAVEL IMPRESSIONS OF AN ART AND HISTORY LOVER
and my experiences as a teacher in China
UMGEBUNGSENTDECKER
Lübeck, the Hanseatic League
and Baltic Seaside Resorts
CONTENTS
-
Lübeck, the Queen of the Hanse
-
The Lübeck Town Law
-
The Hanseatic League, a Medieval Confederation of Cities
-
The Hanseatic Kontors
-
Bergen, Tyske Bryggen
-
London, Steelyard
-
Bruges, House of the Easterlings
-
Novgorod, Peterhof
-
The Hanseatic Days and the Hanseatic Hall
-
The Salt Trade between Lübeck and Lüneburg
-
The Traditions of the Stecknitz Bargemen
-
The Skippers’ Guild, an Impressive Remnant with Tradition
-
Lübeck Rotspon, Bordeaux Wine Refined in Lübeck
-
Wine House Carl Tesdorpf – 1678 to 2020
-
Wine House van Melle
-
Lübeck Marzipan
-
Lübeck’s Passageways, in the Labyrinth of the Common Folk
-
Mölln and Ratzeburg
-
Wismar
-
Scharbeutz
-
Niendorf, Timmendorfer Strand
Lübeck, 1572
License: public domain, you can find the link to the file here .
Houses made of stone were a sign of wealth, and Hanseatic cities were built of stone.
Lübeck’s city historian Manfred Eickhölter says:
"And when I imagine how Lübeck was built, then something like an overall image emerged that fulfilled the notion of a beautifully constructed city – with tall towers radiating far into the land, entirely built of stone, all houses made of stone, all streets paved, with beautiful windows. Sometimes I get the idea that those who founded this city had the vision that, at the western end of the Baltic Sea, from where they would begin their mission, they were building a city that came close to the idea of a heavenly Jerusalem. And for those further east, this has always been the place they looked to in the west, because they would say: that is where we come from."
Lübeck – Queen of the Hanseatic League
Even today, the license plate code “HL” (Hansestadt Lübeck) recalls Lübeck’s proud past as a Hanseatic city. In the Middle Ages, Lübeck held an outstanding position among the Hanseatic towns, so much so that it was often referred to as the “capital of the Hanse.”
Strictly speaking, the loosely organized Hanseatic League had no fixed capital, but thanks to its economic strength and its special status as an imperial city, Lübeck was able to assume a leading role. In 1226, Emperor Frederick II granted the city the Imperial Charter of Liberty. This meant that Lübeck was not subject to any territorial ruler but directly to the king – a privilege that brought great political freedoms.
Lübeck also set standards in legal matters: the “Lübeck Law” was adopted by numerous Hanseatic towns. In this way, Lübeck not only created a uniform legal foundation but also consolidated its preeminent position within the powerful league of cities.
The Lübeck Town Law –
from Soest to Lübeck
The Hanseatic League was built on a shared legal foundation: Lübeck Law. Thanks to Lübeck’s power and influence in the Baltic region, this law spread far and wide. It was adopted by trading posts and newly founded towns alike, creating a common legal framework within the League.
More than 100 cities applied Lübeck Law, making it—after Magdeburg Law—the most important legal system in the Holy Roman Empire, and later even in the German Empire. Remarkably, it remained valid until 1900, when it was finally replaced by the German Civil Code.
The roots of Lübeck Law, however, go back to the Westphalian town of Soest. In 1225, the very first medieval town law was written there—famously on a cowhide. From this Soest law, Lübeck Law emerged, enriched with Westphalian and Holstein traditions, as well as maritime rules from the Gotlandic seafaring community, which traced their origins back to the Vikings.
The oldest city charter in Germany, the Soest town charter from approx. 1225, on a cowhide
The Luebian city law of 1294, which arose from the Soest city law.
Soest, too, was a Hanseatic city. This is still visible in its coat of arms, which features the colors red and silver – the traditional colors of the Hanseatic League, found in the emblems of all Hanseatic towns.
(Next, the story continues with the Hanseatic League itself – its goals, its expansion, and its trading offices in London, Bruges, Bergen, and Novgorod. Fascinating history, but less directly connected to Lübeck. If you’d prefer to skip ahead and return straight to Lübeck, just click here.)
The Hanseatic League – A Medieval Alliance of Cities
The Hanseatic League was an important association of cities and merchants that dominated trade in Northern Europe from the 12th to the 17th century.
The League stretched across Northern and Eastern Europe, with Hanseatic cities in what are today Belgium, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Russia.
As both an economic and political network, the Hanseatic League shaped not only trade but also the culture of the Baltic region. Its peak came in the late Middle Ages, during the 14th century.
Even today, the League remains an important part of European history, historically linking the countries bordering the Baltic Sea.
When people think of the Hanseatic League, the Baltic Sea region usually comes to mind. Yet many Hanseatic cities were clustered in Westphalia, as the map above clearly shows.
Besides trade, the Hanseatic League also served to protect ships from piracy and to defend its members in times of war.
Perhaps the most famous story is that of the legendary pirate Klaus Störtebeker, one of the leaders of the Vitalienbrüder, who roamed the North and Baltic Seas in the late Middle Ages, attacking merchant ships. Sometimes they acted on behalf of rulers who wanted to assert political interests—such as during conflicts between Denmark and Mecklenburg. Regardless of whether they were authorized by royal decree or not, the Hanse made one thing clear: anyone who captured a ship was considered a pirate and was sentenced to death.
Wartime defense was also necessary during conflicts such as the Hanseatic–English War, an economic war over trade in the Baltic region, in which the English sought to benefit as well.
The Hanse traded in goods such as herring, grain, salt, honey, wax, and furs. It also negotiated privileges denied to other merchants, including tax exemptions or exclusive trading agreements.
Culturally, the Hanseatic League connected the Baltic region. Brick Gothic architecture stands out, with its grand churches defining the skylines of many Baltic cities. Works by artists like Lübeck’s painter and sculptor Bernt Notke can be found throughout the region. His Dance of Death in Lübeck’s St. Mary’s Church was destroyed in 1942, but a similar work survives in the St. Nicholas Church in Reval (today Tallinn). Another notable artist is Hermen Rode, whose altarpieces can be seen in places such as Stockholm and Reval.
Lübeck became a center of book printing. In 1488, the Missale Aboense, the first book printed for Finland, was produced there.
Even though Stockholm was not a Hanseatic city, it had a large German community. In the 16th century, they built the Tyska Kyrkan (German Church), reflecting Hanseatic trade relations between Germany and Sweden. This church is one of Stockholm’s largest, shaping the city’s skyline, and features numerous German inscriptions in its stained glass and paintings. Nearby, in Stockholm’s old town, there was a district known as the “German Quarter,” where German merchants and craftsmen lived and worked, significantly influencing the city’s trade and economy in the late Middle Ages.
Among the more than 200 Hanseatic cities, the four major Kontore—trading offices—stand out: Bergen (Norway), London (England), Bruges (Flanders), and Novgorod (Russia). These were operated by the Hanse as centers for trade, bases for Hanseatic merchants, and hubs for conducting business, negotiations, and storage. London marked the westernmost outpost, while the Hanse’s reach extended eastward to Novgorod—a republic that stretched to the Urals and the Barents Sea.
The Hanseatic Kontors
Bergen, Tyske Bryggen
Founded in 1343, the Bergen Kontor—known as the Hanseatic quarter Tyske Bryggen (the German Wharf)—is the best-preserved of all four Hanseatic Kontors. Colorful, gabled wooden houses line almost the entire northeastern shore of Bergen’s harbor. Despite fires and other disasters over the centuries, 60 of these buildings still stand today and are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
After World War II, the quarter came to be called simply Bryggen, as people wanted to distance themselves from Germany due to wartime experiences.
Trade with Norway came to an end in 1754, when King Frederik V of Denmark-Norway officially revoked the Hanseatic League’s historic trading rights.
The wooden houses in Bryggen, the former Hanseatic trading post in Bergen. Source: Wikipedia, Gerd A.T. Mueller
London, Stalhof
The London Kontor, known as the Steelyard (Stalhof), originated from the trading post established in 1175 by Cologne merchants on the Thames, called the Guildhall. The Cologne merchants primarily traded in Rhine wine.
After the Hanseatic–English War (1469–1474), which England lost, the Guildhall was significantly expanded. The war had been triggered by English ambitions stirred by Hanseatic trade in the Baltic, with English ships entering the Baltic Sea only to be intercepted and seized by Hanseatic vessels. The London Kontor, which until then consisted solely of the Guildhall, grew to cover 7,000 square meters, located directly on the Thames where Cannon Street station now stands.
In the 16th century, the Kontor came under pressure as English merchants sought to expand their own trading power. In 1598, Queen Elizabeth I officially closed the Kontor. For a short time, starting in 1606, King James I allowed Hanseatic merchants to operate again, but by 1611 it was permanently shut down.
The Stalhof (Steelyard) in London. Source: Wikipedia
Famous painting by Hans Holbein the Younger: The Merchant Georg Gisze in his London Kontor, 1532, Gemäldegalerie Berlin. Source: Wikipedia
Bruges, Osterlingenhuis
In 1252/53, merchants from Lübeck, Hamburg, Dortmund, Soest, Cologne, and other cities received privileges in Bruges. With up to 1,000 Hanseatic merchants, Bruges became the largest Hanseatic trading post abroad. Unlike other Kontors, there was no enclosed compound where the merchants lived. Social contact between the Hanseatic merchants and the local population set Bruges apart.
Without a dedicated building at first, the merchants met in the refectory (dining hall) of the Carmelite monastery. Later, the House of the Easterlings (Huis der Oosterlingen) was built at Oosterlingenplein. It served as a warehouse and lodging for merchants and functioned as an overseas trading post with consular authority.
Today, little remains of the building. A surviving part can be seen at the corner of Torenbrug and Oosterlingenplein, near Golden-Handrei, though it has lost its original medieval appearance with corner towers and battlements. It now operates as a small hotel. The Hanseatic merchants were called Easterlings because they all came from cities east of Bruges.
The archive of the Bruges Kontor has survived completely and is now housed in the city archives in Cologne. Trade in Bruges declined from the 1520s onwards, as the harbor silted up and Antwerp took over its role.
Novgorod, Peterhof
Novgorod was the easternmost of all Hanseatic trading posts, marking the far end of the Hanseatic world. The city was accessible only via the Neva and Volkhov rivers, as it was not located on the sea. St. Petersburg, at the mouth of the Neva, had not yet been founded—it would only appear in the 18th century.
Novgorod was more than just an outpost. As the capital of the Republic of Novgorod, which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains, it was of great commercial interest. Before the Hanseatic merchants arrived, the Gotlanders had already established a trading post there. The Hanseatic merchants displaced them and built their own “city within a city,” enclosed by a palisade with a single gate that was locked at night. The post was named after St. Peter’s Church, the only stone building in the settlement, where merchants could take refuge in case of danger.
Goods from Russia were quite raw compared to those from Bruges or London. Hanseatic merchants traded cloth from London and lace from Flanders for furs, wax, salt, and honey from Russia.
In 1494, the Kontor was closed and destroyed by Tsar Ivan III. Having freed Russia from the Golden Horde (the Mongols) and unified the country under the Grand Duchy of Moscow, he brought an end to the Republic of Novgorod in 1478, which was absorbed into Moscow’s domain.
The Hanseatic Assembly
and the Hanseatic Hall
The League needed a hall for gatherings of representatives from the Hanseatic cities, known as the Hanseatic Assembly. These meetings, where interests were negotiated, decisions made, and agreements enforced, were the most important governing body of the Hanseatic League.
The Hanseatic Assembly took place between 1356 and 1669, most often in the Hanseatic Hall of Lübeck’s Town Hall—a chamber specially created for these important meetings.
Hanseatic Hall on the upper floor of Lübeck Town Hall around 1817/18.
Before the 1818 renovation, a drawing was made—the only surviving depiction of the Hanseatic Hall. Drawing by E. C. Krüger, Archive of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck
Hanseatic Hall on the upper floor of Lübeck Town Hall around 1817/18. Before the 1818 renovation, a drawing was made—the only surviving depiction of the Hanseatic Hall. Drawing by E. C. Krüger, Archive of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck
The hall was furnished simply. Representatives of the Hanseatic cities did not sit at a table, but along the walls on horseshoe-shaped benches, similar to the choir of a church. Above the walls ran a painted frieze featuring the city’s two coats of arms: the Imperial Eagle, symbolizing imperial freedom, and the Lübeck shield in silver and red.
The colors red and silver appear in the coats of arms of all cities that were part of the Hanseatic League.
It’s worth visiting Lübeck Town Hall on a guided tour, although the Hanseatic Hall itself is no longer accessible. In 1818, 400 years after it was built, the hall was removed to make room for offices. Today, if you stand in front of the main entrance on Breite Straße, you can see the 14 windows on the first floor behind which the Hanseatic Hall once stood.
At the European Hanseatic Museum on the Untertrave, you can see reproductions of the hall’s benches and wall paintings, giving a vivid impression of the Hanseatic Days and the issues that were discussed there.
The Salt Trade between Lübeck and Lüneburg
Salt made some cities wealthy in the Middle Ages. Lübeck was the main hub for overseas salt trade. Northern and northeastern Europe were so poor in salt that it had to be imported from Lüneburg via Lübeck. Initially, the salt was transported from Lüneburg to Lübeck along the Old Salt Road.
From 1398 onwards, the city of Lübeck built a canal—the Stecknitz Canal—stretching from Lauenburg to Lübeck, allowing boats to carry up to 7.5 tons of salt each. Although the route is short today, it took 2–3 weeks back then to transport the salt. The canal was narrow, more like a stream, and the boats had a very shallow draft of only about 40 centimeters. (Want to learn more about the Stecknitz Canal? Click here.)
A special profession, the Stecknitzfahrer (Bargemen on the River Stecknitz), emerged around this trade, and their legacy can still be seen in Lübeck today. The renovated Stecknitzfahrer-Guild Hall is located in the Stecknitzfahrer Quarter below the cathedral at Hartengrube 25.
The old salt storagehouses are also still visible in Lübeck, located right next to the Holstentor (Holsten Gate).
The old salt storagehouses right next to the Holsten Gate
The Malerwinkel (Artists' Nook) on the Obertrave, district of the Stecknitz bargemen
View from the Obertrave Bridge, the "Liebesbrücke," toward St. Peter’s Church and St. Mary’s Church
On the Obertrave
An der Obertrave
In the photos above, you can see the Stecknitzfahrer Quarter, located between the cathedral at Mühlendamm and the Trave River. Through their work, the Stecknitzfahrer were able to rise socially, as their office functioned like a guild—a kind of association of common interest. Their wealth is evident in the fact that they donated the Mary Magdalene Altar to Lübeck’s St. Mary’s Church in 1422.
But their generosity didn’t stop there: they also contributed to the furnishings of the seven churches in towns along the Stecknitz Canal, including Krummesse, Berkenthin, Nusse, Mölln, Siebeneichen, Witzeeze, Büchen, and Lauenburg. In Mölln, for example, you can see an inscription from the Stecknitzfahrer and the guild’s carved coat of arms in the choir stalls of St. Nicolai Church.
The coat of arms of the Stecknitzfahrer
When the railway made transport faster and easier, the canal was no longer needed. Later, the Elbe–Lübeck Canal was built parallel to it, partly following its original route, and is now suitable for larger inland ships.
In 1845, a decree by the Lübeck government abolished both the guild of salt haulers and the Stecknitzfahrer. The Stecknitzfahrten officially ended in 1898—exactly 500 years after they began in 1398. The “Office of the Stecknitzfahrer” ceased to exist, but the seafarers who had grown together over centuries remained a close-knit group. With financial support, they were able to build larger ships and continued navigating the Elbe. They became riverboat men and, in 1854, founded an association whose activities followed the traditions of the old Stecknitzfahrer office. New members were usually drawn only from within the families of existing members.
This family circle of Lübeck inland sailors (today called riverboatmen) still exists. They maintain the tradition of the annual Kringelhöge festival, which begins with a church service in the cathedral in Low German. Afterwards, the celebration continues with a shared meal, each participant bringing a dish, accompanied by special brown beer served in pewter mugs. It is customary to smoke tobacco from long-stemmed pipes, lit only with a wooden splint. The event is traditionally male-only, with women admitted only in the evening.
See also: Kringelhöge
At the other end of town, at the Holy Spirit Hospital, is the Schiffergesellschaft. It is best to walk along the route and after about 1.5 kilometers turn right into Engelsgrube. Follow this street until you reach the cross street Breite Straße. The Schiffergesellschaft is right there on the corner.
The Schiffergesellschaft – a historic tavern near the Holy Spirit Hospital
Inside the Seafarers’ Guild. On the sides of the long banquet benches, coats of arms of former shipping companies are carved and colorfully painted.
On December 26, 1401, Lübeck merchants, sailors, and seafarers founded a brotherhood to provide aid and comfort to those who earned their living at sea, in honor of God and the patron saint of all sailors, Saint Nicholas. It is the oldest documented organization of Lübeck seafarers.
When the Reformation reached Lübeck in 1535, all brotherhoods were dissolved. The seafarers purchased the meeting house and renamed their association the Seafarers’ Guild (Schiffergesellschaft). They expanded the large hall for communal dining and celebrations and reinstated the gelage—benches made from ship planks. Small living quarters were added at the back of the building to provide shelter and assistance to needy widows and orphans of sailors—a tradition that continues to this day. The main building has housed a restaurant, the Schiffergesellschaft, since the mid-19th century.
When we visited, we were greeted by the maître d’, a solid, North German stalwart, self-assured man who welcomed us warmly in Low German dialect, clearly identifying with his workplace. For us, he switched to High German and readily answered all our curious questions about the building and the guild. We wanted to know, for example, why the windows on the façade begin so high. Is it to prevent outsiders from looking in? Does it reflect exclusivity—only those allowed inside can see what goes on within? He explained that the room was designed to resemble a ship’s hull: solid at the bottom, with light entering from the higher windows above.
He also told us that the paintings above the wooden panels, installed in 1624, depict scenes from the Bible, and that the carved and colorfully painted coats of arms on the backen of the long banquet benches (the gelage) commemorate the former shipping companies.
Historically, the Seafarers’ Guild served as a hub for communication. Sailors would gather in the evenings to drink beer, smoke their clay pipes, and exchange information about destinations such as Bergen, Riga, Novgorod, or Stockholm. They shared experiences from the ports, discussed prices they had achieved—or failed to achieve—changes in port regulations, difficulties encountered during their journeys, and other aspects of maritime life.
Rotspon – A True Child of the Hanseatic League
Rotspon, a French red wine, is a genuine product of the Hanseatic League. It originated in the 13th century when Hanseatic cogs sailed to the French Atlantic coast to deliver their goods. To avoid returning empty, the ships took young Bordeaux wines on board as ballast, stored in oak barrels from France. After a long sea voyage, the wines arrived at the Trave River and were carefully stored in the cellars of Lübeck’s merchant houses until they reached full bottle maturity. The combination of the sea voyage and storage in the maritime climate gave the wine its distinctive character.
Carl Tesdorpf Wine House – Since 1678
Naturally, we wanted to visit Lübeck’s oldest wine shop, Carl Tesdorpf, founded in 1678. We went to Mengstraße 64, where the shop was supposed to be, only to find it closed. After ringing the bell, a window on the upper floor opened, and a gentleman called down that he would come, but needed a moment due to his age. We waited.
The man who greeted us was the last Tesdorpf to run the shop before it closed in May 2019, just weeks before our visit. The shop was mostly empty, yet we were fascinated by the shiny, uneven stone floor made of large slabs, over which goods had been rolled for centuries, the tall sash windows, and the portrait of the wine house’s founder and later Lübeck mayor, Peter Hinrich Tesdorpf, looking every bit like a Baroque prince (image below, by Bjoertvedt – CC BY-SA 4.0). Above all, we were captivated by the elderly Tesdorpf himself, who shared countless interesting stories about the shop and its history.
After 341 years, the tradition of the wine house came to an end in May, when the business was sold to a Hamburg wine merchant that now operates exclusively online. A reflective feeling came over us, and we wondered how much tradition and culture are being lost through modern commerce. Lübeck Rotspon under the Tesdorpf name still exists, but, as mentioned, only online. Yet drinking such a wine is always done with an awareness of tradition—connected to the brick building in the old town, the centuries-old relationship between the Tesdorpf family and the Mann family, and the mention of Tesdorpf Rotspon in Thomas Mann’s novel Buddenbrooks. It will take a generation or two before all of this is forgotten. A pity.
In Mengstraße, there are still two other places inseparably linked to Lübeck: the Buddenbrook House, which houses an exhibition on the life and work of the famous writer, and Restaurant Schabbelhaus at Mengstraße 48–50, a historic venue that functions almost like a museum.
Van Melle Wine House
Although the Van Melle Wine House was not founded until 1853, it was here that we finally found what we were looking for and could purchase our souvenir, Rotspon, while also experiencing a vibrant wine shop that matched our idea of a traditional Lübeck establishment.
In the photo above, you can see the diele (main hall) of the Van Melle Wine House, a typical Lübeck-style building with a gable facing the street, a high ground floor, and several lower upper floors used for storing goods. The diele features tall sash windows both at the front and at the back, overlooking the courtyard. It served as a multifunctional space where goods were delivered, work was carried out, and the house was also presented to visitors.
Because of its representational function, many dielen were decorated with paintings, and in later centuries, elaborate carvings were added to the panels and stairways. On the side of the large room was the so-called Dorne, a small heated room functioning as an office or gatehouse, separated from the diele by glass panels. In the photo, it can be seen at the top left. In the foreground, a rope is visible, part of a hoist used to lift loads inside the building. Goods were raised through hatches in the floors, which could be opened as needed. The rope ran over a large wheel in the attic.
The merchant family’s living quarters were located in an annex extending into the courtyard, known as the side wing.
Lübeck Marzipan
Famous marzipan is made in various places around the world, and many cities claim to have invented this sweet treat. Persia, Toledo, and in the German-speaking region Lübeck, Königsberg, and Reval (today Tallinn in Estonia, where merchants spoke German until the 19th century) all make such claims. Notably, three of these places are on the Baltic Sea, a connection explained by the Hanseatic trade routes.
The name “Lübeck Marzipan” is now protected by the European Union and refers not to the recipe itself, but to the place of origin.
The most famous producer is the confectionery and pastry shop Niederegger, founded in 1806 by Johann Georg Niederegger, originally from Ulm.
The story that Lübeck marzipan originated during times of famine, when only almonds and sugar were left in the city, belongs more to the realm of legend.
Lübeck's Lanes – The Labyrinth of the Common People
Due to the limited space in Lübeck’s old town, located on an island in the Trave River, there was a shortage of housing in the Middle Ages. The plots behind the large street-facing houses were filled with small buildings, some containing only a single room. These served as homes for servants or sailors.
To reach these back houses, narrow passageways—called Gänge—were constructed, running through the street-front buildings. Many of these passageways still exist today, particularly in parts of the city that were not destroyed during the war, which is more than one might expect. They are especially common in the northern part around Engelsgrube, near the Seafarers’ Guild, as well as in the southern area near the cathedral, where they branch off streets like Hartengrube, or in the western part near Glockengießerstraße.
Although these passageways are technically public spaces, they feel very private. As a visitor, it is important to respect this and avoid peeking into houses or sitting on the residents’ benches and chairs.
A typical passage through one of the large street-facing houses. The passages were narrow, but always built according to city regulations wide enough to allow a coffin to pass through.
Mölln and Ratzeburg
Wismar
Scharbeutz
Niendorf,
Timmendorfer Strand
