”Hansestädte” / Hanseatic Towns
The Hanseatic League formed a network of guilds and towns that dominated trade in the North during the 14th and 15th centuries. At its peak, this network included some 200 towns around the Baltic and Northern Seas that grew rapidly due the wealth that was generated by trade. The economic and social order of these towns was mirrored in their layout and buildings. In a way, many of the former Hanseatic towns can be regarded as open-air museums that tell a lot about private, cultural, and religious life as well as economic, political, and societal structures during the Middle Ages in the North – if one knows how to read the signs. And that is exactly what we are attempting to do in this seminar. During the first part of the seminar, we will discuss the rise of trade towns and town culture in mediaeval Europe with a focus on the Baltic Sea Region and learn more about the major political and economic events and changes that took place in the North during the 13th-15th centuries. The second part of the seminar is formed by a one-day excursion in Greifswald.
Students will choose one aspect of Hanseatic towns and present and discuss it on-site during the excursion. The one-day excursion is valid as excursion day according to the study regulation. It is planned to arrange additional one-day excursions in connection with the seminar.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a seminar. Students of the HICUBAS MA can choose it as "Übung" as part of module 5 (History of the Baltic Sea Region).
Seminar dates:
1) Friday, 17.10.2025, 10-12h
2) Tuesday, 21.10.2025, 20h, lecture hall 2.05 at Historical Institute
3) Friday, 24.10.2025, 10-12h
Please visit the moodle-page for more information.
(Please note: The excursion day forms part of the seminar and can not be joined from outside the seminar.) |
