The Bruner Family Journey: The Hanseatic Cities Of Northern Germany

Hanseatic architecture in Rostock

The Hanseatic League was an economic coalition of the merchant houses of the cities of the North Sea and the Baltic. The League's foundations date back to the 12th century, when the merchant houses of the cities of Hamburg and Lübeck formed a mutually beneficial alliance. Fishing boats from Lübeck had easy access to herring spawning grounds off the coast of Scania (which today makes up the lower tip of Sweden), but without refrigeration or canning the distribution of this important staple posed a problem. Hamburg, on the other side of the Jutland peninsula (in modern day Denmark), had easy access to salt from the salt mines of Kiel, which could be used to cure the fish for transport. A marriage made in heaven, kind of like the Reeses peanut butter cup.

Pretty little Wismar

The trade between the merchant associations of Hamburg and Lübeck provided a model for other cities. By the height of the League's power in the late 14th century, there were more than 60 member cities from across northern Europe trading a wide variety of goods, from herring to honey and furs to flax. This broad-based alliance helped to spread risk, given the uncertainties involved with shipping cargo across rough seas in the Middle Ages. The League was loosely governed by a "Diet" (a kind of parliament) that sought to establish common policies and govern inter-city trade. The policies were decidedly protectionist and aimed at creating a monopoly over the goods that the League members supplied. But the League's authority was far from centralized, and the result was a diverse and disjointed set of policies that reflected differences in regional priorities. Lübeck was the League's linchpin and chief city, due to its wealth and power, its central geographic location, and its status as a free imperial city (which meant it owed allegiance directly to the Holy Roman Empire, without any intervening obligations to the local nobility).

More from Wismar

The Hanseatic League wasn't merely an economic alliance. In several instances, the League's member cities joined military forces to wage war. One common enemy was the Kingdom of Denmark. In the 1360s, Hanseatic forces sacked Copenhagen and forced the Danish Crown to grant the League 15% of the profits from the trade of Danish goods. The League also used its economic and military clout to gain concessions from the powers that be of the Holy Roman Empire. And being a maritime power, the League secured safe trade routes for ship convoys by defeating its fair share of pirates and brigands.

Mercedes parked on Wismar's main square

But the League's power started to wane by the end of the 15th century. Perhaps the people of northern Europe grew sick and tired of eating salted herring all the time. More likely, the League declined due to the rise of national powers in northern Europe, the competition from Dutch and English trade, increasing internal conflicts among the League's member cities, and incursions by the Ottoman Empire into the League's trade routes. By the end of the 16th century, the League was a shadow of its former self. And in a few years it all ended with a whimper, with Hamburg, Lübeck and Bremen as the only remaining members. Nevertheless, even today many of the German Hanseatic cities still identify, at least symbolically, with the League. Hamburg's official name, for example, is "Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg" (the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg).

Church in Stralsund

All this is a long-winded way of saying that the cities of the Hanseatic League are really old, proud and beautiful. The cities' distinctive style of architecture - which has been referred to as the "Baltic Style" or "Brick Gothic" - is characterized by decorative triangular façades with stepped gables and ornate curves, massive churches with square towers and green copper roofs, circular turrets thick and thin, and plenty of red brick construction. We visited seven Hanseatic cities in northern Germany: Stralsund, Rostock, and Wismar (all in the former East Germany); and Lübeck, Hamburg, Bremen and Münster (in the former West Germany). This post covers the first three of these.

We had a great time in Stralsund

Stralsund, in northeastern Germany near the Polish border, seemed like the most remote of the bunch. It felt a bit like a frontier town, an outpost on the Baltic, and we joked that we were in the "Wild East." Not surprisingly, it gets very few non-German tourists, even though it's a treasure trove of old Hanseatic architecture and has a world-class ocean museum and aquarium. We talked with some locals and they were shocked beyond belief that we would actually leave sunny California for Germany's gray and windy northern coast. It's a festive place, with a large waterside amusement park for the kids and plenty of bars overflowing with patrons who really like to, um, celebrate. Speaking of celebrations, there was quite a street fair going on during our visit (even despite the wet weather), replete with musical performances, processions in medieval garb, and plenty of food and drink. We also ran into two different mobile bachelor parties raucously making their way through town - both dragging a wheeled cart filled with little airplane bottles of liquor to offer passersby. The town sure does offer something for everyone! We'd never heard of Stralsund until we looked at a large map of Germany in early July, but we had a fantastic time here despite the strong wind and rain, and we're sure glad we came.

Street fair in Stralsund

Waiting for a beverage

It's all fun and games until someone gets an eye shot out!

Talia tries to win a festival prize in the rain

About to enter the prison of marriage!

We stopped only briefly in Rostock for lunch, on the way from Stralsund to Wismar. The city has had an up-and-down history since Hanseatic times, including periods of Danish, Swedish and French occupation. Large parts of the city were destroyed in World War II, but it then became a major industrial city in the former East Germany, only to experience an economic decline after reunification. In 1992, Rostock was the scene of violent anti-ethnic riots, and the city's muted response led to complaints of police and political indifference and incompetence. Visually, it's a mixed bag - there is some truly exquisite Hanseatic architecture, but turn you head and you'll also see plenty of Soviet Bloc eyesores. All in all, it was probably the least compelling Hanseatic destination of our trip, although it was still worth visiting and we had a fantastic traditional lunch of braised duck with mushrooms and, of course, cured herring.

Waiting for lunch

Market day in Rostock

Wismar

This post concludes in Wismar, which (at least to my eye) is the best preserved and most charming of the Hanseatic cities in Germany. It has the largest square in the country, at some 10,000 square meters, and you can walk around town for hours without seeing a single modern building. With its quiet, leafy canals and uninterrupted display of centuries of historic architecture, it feels like an outdoor museum and is a photographer's paradise. Before we arrived, we weren't sure that we were going to spend the night here, but we were smitten on first sight. It's smaller and more tranquil than Stralsund and because of that the two places complement each other perfectly. Stralsund and Wismar may not be on the typical tourist itinerary, but that only makes a visit to these two beautiful cities all the more enjoyable.

Walking along Wismar's canals

As we made the short drive westward to Lübeck the next morning, we passed a sign on the road indicating where the border between East and West had been. I was gripped by the history of it all and stopped to take a picture. But all the other cars just raced by as if it were just another road sign.