The Hanseatic League

The Modern Hanse: Revival of a Medieval Idea

The Hanseatic idea has had an extraordinary afterlife. The cities of Lübeck, Hamburg, and Bremen retained the formal title of Free Hanseatic Cities of the German Empire until 1937, and the city of Bremen still uses the title in its official name. The commercial culture of the League survived in the practices of the German merchant class, and the legal traditions of the League survived in the commercial law of modern Germany. But the most visible modern revival of the Hanseatic idea is the New Hanse, an international association of cities that has promoted the common heritage of the League since 1980.

This article describes the New Hanse, beginning with the foundation in 1980, continuing with the growth of the association, the activities, and the member cities, and ending with the debates about the meaning and the purpose of the modern revival.

The foundation of the New Hanse

The New Hanse, also known as the Hanseatic League of New Time or the Die Hanse, was founded in 1980 in Zwolle, in the Netherlands. The foundation was the result of a growing interest in the Hanseatic heritage in the 1970s, and the foundation was supported by cities in the Netherlands, Germany, and the Baltic states. The foundation was, in many ways, a response to the European integration of the 1970s, and the foundation was an attempt to create a network of cities that could promote their common interests in the new Europe.

The first Hansetag of the New Hanse was held in 1980 in Zwolle, and the Hansetag was attended by representatives of about thirty cities. The Hansetag adopted a declaration that defined the goals of the New Hanse, and the Hansetag established the procedures for the new association. The principal goals of the New Hanse were the promotion of the common heritage of the Hanseatic cities, the encouragement of cultural and economic exchange among the member cities, and the development of common positions on matters of European policy.

The growth of the New Hanse

The New Hanse grew rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s, and the association now has more than two hundred member cities in more than twenty countries. The growth was, in many ways, a response to the European integration of the 1990s, and the growth was particularly rapid after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, when the cities of the former East Germany and the Baltic states were able to join the association.

A specific note on the membership count: the official New Hanse website (diehanse.de) puts the count at “over 200” as of 2024. The number has been growing steadily, with a notable acceleration after 2000. Most of the growth has been in Poland and the Baltic states, which now have more member cities than Germany.

The New Hanse is organised into twelve regional chapters, each of which covers a particular area of the Hanseatic world. The principal chapters are the Netherlands, the Rhineland and Westphalia, the Wendish district, the Baltic states, Poland, and Scandinavia. Each chapter has its own Hansetag, and the chapters send representatives to the international Hansetag, which is the principal decision-making body of the New Hanse.

The New Hanse is governed by an international secretariat, which is based in Lübeck, and the secretariat is responsible for the day-to-day running of the association. The secretariat is supported by the contributions of the member cities, and the contributions are proportional to the size of the cities.

The activities of the New Hanse

The New Hanse is principally a cultural and economic association, and the activities of the New Hanse are focused on the promotion of the common heritage of the member cities, the encouragement of cultural and economic exchange, and the development of common positions on matters of European policy.

The principal activities of the New Hanse are:

  1. The annual international Hansetag, which is held in a different member city each year, and which is attended by representatives of all the member cities. The Hansetag is the principal decision-making body of the New Hanse, and the Hansetag is also a major cultural event.
  2. The regional Hansetage, which are held in the different chapters of the New Hanse, and which are attended by the representatives of the cities in the region.
  3. The Hansemuseum, the Hanseatic Museum of Lübeck, which opened in 2015 and which is one of the most comprehensive museums of the Hanseatic heritage.
  4. The Hansetag Youth, a youth programme that brings together young people from the member cities.
  5. The Hansa Tourism Prize, a prize that is awarded annually to a tourism project that promotes the Hanseatic heritage.

The member cities

The New Hanse has more than two hundred member cities in more than twenty countries, from Bergen in Norway to Riga in Latvia, from Bruges in Belgium to Berlin in Germany, from Novgorod in Russia to Gdańsk in Poland. The member cities include most of the great cities of the medieval League, and they also include many cities that were not members of the medieval League but that have an interest in the Hanseatic heritage.

The principal member cities of the New Hanse are:

A specific note: the inclusion of cities that were not members of the medieval League (such as London, Berlin, and Brussels) is sometimes controversial. The argument for inclusion is that the New Hanse is a cultural network, and any city with Hanseatic heritage or interest is welcome. The argument against is that this dilutes the historical specificity of the association. The debate is ongoing.

The debates about the modern revival

The New Hanse has been the subject of considerable debate, and the debates have been about the meaning and the purpose of the modern revival. The principal debates have been about the relationship between the New Hanse and the European Union, about the relationship between the New Hanse and the cultural heritage of the member cities, and about the relationship between the New Hanse and the commercial interests of the member cities.

The first debate has been about the relationship between the New Hanse and the European Union. Some members of the New Hanse have argued that the New Hanse should be a political force in the European Union, and that the New Hanse should develop common positions on matters of European policy. Other members have argued that the New Hanse should be a cultural association, and that the New Hanse should not become involved in political matters.

The second debate has been about the relationship between the New Hanse and the cultural heritage of the member cities. Some members of the New Hanse have argued that the New Hanse should be a force for the preservation of the Hanseatic heritage, and that the New Hanse should work to protect the brick Gothic architecture, the historic centres, and the cultural traditions of the member cities. Other members have argued that the New Hanse should be a force for the modernisation of the Hanseatic heritage, and that the New Hanse should encourage the development of new forms of culture that are inspired by the Hanseatic heritage.

The third debate has been about the relationship between the New Hanse and the commercial interests of the member cities. Some members of the New Hanse have argued that the New Hanse should be a force for the economic development of the member cities, and that the New Hanse should work to promote the trade and the investment of the member cities. Other members have argued that the New Hanse should be a cultural association, and that the New Hanse should not become involved in commercial matters.

A useful counterpoint: the Hanseatic City of Lübeck archives website lists the New Hanse and the medieval League in the same “Hanse” section — a small but telling indication of how the modern revival is integrated, for many Germans, into a continuous Hanseatic heritage.

Further reading