Hansa Across the Sea

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Here we are at sea again, as we begin the second segment of our cruise. 

As I reflected on our just-completed journey around the Baltic Sea, several recurring themes struck me. One phrase that I kept hearing was “Hanseatic League.” All of the ports we visited had a historical connection to the Hanseatic League.

The Hanseatic League, or Hansa, was a network of merchant guilds and market towns in northern Europe that operated from the late 12th century through the middle of the 16th century. Most of the Hanseatic trade involved maritime routes, and most of it was centered on the Baltic Sea, although the trade routes also extended into the North Sea and up some of the larger rivers. In those days, most of the nations we know today did not exist. Thus, the members of the Hansa were primarily market towns, rather than countries. The league started in the region that is now Germany and was influenced, and perhaps dominated, by powerful traders from that region. 

The Hanseatic League offered commercial benefits to traders and eventually standardized trade practices were adopted by members of the League. Another advantage to members was related to safety - protection from pirates and robbers.

The dominant language of trade was Middle Low German. This language had an impact, that can still be found today, on the other languages spoken in the Baltic region. In the 12th and 13th centuries, German merchants settled in several Baltic cities, including Gdansk, Riga and Tallinn. The medieval German influence can still be found in the architecture of these outposts, as well. 

The Hanseatic League started out trading in coarse woolen fabric, adding fine woolen and linen goods as manufacturing techniques evolved. Other important trade goods included beeswax, furs, honey, timber, flax, wheat, and rye from the eastern regions, and salt, herring, beer, metals and broadcloth from the western merchants. It is known from archaeological sites that trade goods from Turkey, and other distant lands found their way to Hanseatic markets. I love that fabric played such an important part in the medieval Baltic trade. 

The League had tremendous economic power, and they were not afraid to use it. They did not have a centralized administration, but they did begin to operate like a government. For example, the Hansa members built the first lighthouses in the Baltic, trained ships’ pilots, and entered into mutual defense treaties.

Visby, on the island of Gotland, played an important role as a hub during the Hanseatic period. If you look at a map, you will see that it occupies a very central and strategic position in the region.

Visby is the large yellow island on this map showing Hanseatic sphere of influence in the year 1400,
from Wikipedia entry for Hanseatic League

Visby is still a hub of maritime commerce. Here is a photo we took of the cargo terminal in Visby:

“Gods” means “goods” or “cargo”

I think it is very interesting to look at the map of the Baltic and see how close together all of the Hanseatic towns were, and to think about all of the commerce that was being conducted between the various communities back in those days. The ancient trade routes are still there, in the form of fleets of large, modern cruise-ferries that travel back and forth between Tallinn and Helsinki, between Visby and Nynäshamn, and between Copenhagen and Oslo, to name a few well-traveled routes.

Another theme that kept coming up during our visits to the countries touching the Baltic was a deep anxiety about Russia and concern about the sustainability of the arrival of thousands of refugees from Ukraine. Poland shares a border with Ukraine and the Polish perhaps feel the impacts of events in Ukraine most acutely. However, in contrast to feelings of uneasiness, in some places the Ukraine refugees are very welcome because they help the local economy by alleviating labor shortages. (Translation: The Ukrainians will do the jobs the locals do not want to do.)

We noticed the food was quite similar in the various countries we visited around the Baltic. Fish made up a larger part of the diet than it does in the US. Beer and cider seemed to be more popular than wine. Rye, which grows better than wheat in colder climates, is frequently used in breads. While dairy products such as cheese are popular, beef is not as frequently eaten. Lamb and pork are more common. Hearty soups and stews are typical foods. Coffee is incredibly popular.

A color similar to “Skagen yellow” was prevalent everywhere, even in the “old towns.” We also saw a lot of buildings painted a shade of red called “Falun red,” which was made with iron oxide from copper mines.

Having visited Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland before, I was aware that they are first-world countries with robust economies. I was not expecting to find such a high standard of living in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. I assumed that their history as satellites of the Soviet Union would have left these countries impoverished. I expected to find grim, bleak cities and towns, such as the ones I had seen in the Russian far east, and to some extent in St. Petersburg. I only saw a small part of each country, but I saw vibrant cities full of tourists, a high standard of living, lots of new automobiles, abundant food, busy restaurants and cafés, well-preserved old towns, clean streets and parks, and apparently happy capitalists. I did not see much homelessness. I did not see much of a police presence anywhere. I didn’t see barred windows or complicated bicycle locks or alarm systems.

Our Baltic itinerary was wonderful, interesting, and thought-provoking. I hope you will consider a trip to the Baltic region. Try to visit beyond Scandinavia, and beyond the capitals. 

That’s it for the Baltic. Soon we will be exploring elsewhere. Meanwhile, I am taking advantage of this sea day to relax. I attended a presentation this morning called “Smartphone Photography Basics. I learned how to take better photos and I also learned what many of the cryptic things on my camera app do. Yay! I also went to the Princess Book Club and met some like-minded people. Books were handed out. There were four to choose from. I chose “So Far Gone,” by Jess Walter. 

Spoiler alert: I finished the book and I really liked it.

Today’s fabric is broadcloth. Historically, broadcloth was made from wool, though now it is usually cotton or synthetic. It was woven wider than its finished width and then subjected to hot, soapy water to shrink it. This produced a tighter weave than could have been achieved through a weaving alone. The cloth was also beaten, or “milled,” which created matted, or “felted” fibers. This process makes it warmer and more waterproof, but makes it hard to see the weave. Wool broadcloth is often used in coats. I found these public domain photos on Wikipedia.

Wool broadcloth coat, 2009
(Obviously not in the US)

Close-up of broadcloth surface, with corner of pocket and end of drawstring for scale, photographed at 6× magnification