In 1991, HANSA received the "Cultural Trail of the Council of Europe" certificate, and since 2004 it has been an official cultural trail in Europe. The HANSA Trail creates a network of cities that were historically linked by common trade. The aim of this association is to develop tourism and trade in member cities. The city of Gdansk, as the organizer of the International Hansa Congress, prepared this event in 1997 and in 2024.
What does the term Hansa mean?
It comes from an old high German word for crowd and has been used to refer to a community of traveling merchants since the XIIth century. They joined forces to better protect themselves from pirates and jointly pursue their economic interests – thus laying the foundation for the Hanseatic League.
Maritime Tradition and the Hanseatic League
Blue Lamb photo: Archaeological Museum
The idea for the Hansa
Initially, a network of deep-sea trade was developed, eventually creating a powerful association of cities: the Hanseatic League. For over 400 years, the Hanseatic League shaped the economy, trade and politics of northern Europe. Today, the Hanseatic cities are reuniting in the HANSA League, which was founded in Zwolle in 1980 to revive their shared cultural heritage. The new Hansa has its headquarters in Lübeck.
Cultural Trails in Pomorskie
The trade across borders
At its peak, the Hanseatic League included over 200 cities, mostly on the Baltic Sea, and inland it covered the line Cologne–Erfurt–Krakow. However, the influence of the Hanseatic League extended far beyond this area: it included trading posts from Portugal to Russia and from Finland to the Mediterranean. In Novgorod, Bruges, London and Bergen, seafaring merchants established four large trading houses; smaller branches were established in many other trading centres. For over 400 years, the Hanseatic League shaped the economy, trade and politics of Northern Europe until it lost its importance in the mid-XVIIth century.
HANSA today
The aim of the League of Cities is to promote the cultural heritage and Hanseatic identity around the member cities and to exchange and cooperate across borders in the fields of culture and education. Today, the Hanseatic network includes 190 cities in 16 countries, making it one of the largest voluntary associations of cities in the world.
International Hansa Day
The New Hansa organizes annual meetings in one of the member cities, which are an excellent opportunity to promote and establish new contacts on various levels.
On the occasion of the “International Hansa Day in Modern Times”, HANSA refers to the tradition of the medieval Hanseatic Days. The aim of the annual meetings is to celebrate the common past and international cooperation. Travellers can visit any city that was previously part of the Hansa network. A special opportunity to visit is the annual International Hansa Day. It is attended by residents of over 100 European cities from 16 countries celebrating values such as mutual understanding, respect and cooperation. The celebrations are accompanied by a number of events, fairs, lectures and exhibitions.
Gdansk organised the Hansa Days for the first time in 1997, they were part of the city’s Millennium celebrations. The next opportunity arises on 13-16 June 2024.
Polish cities on the HANSAS trail
Białogard, Braniewo, Chełmno, Darłowo, Elbląg, Frombork, Gdańsk, Goleniów, Kołobrzeg, Koszalin, Kraków, Kwidzyn, Lębork, Olsztyn, Szczecin, Sławno, Słubice, Słupsk, Stargard, Strzelce Opolskie, Malbork, Toruń, Wrocław
