The historic Hanseatic League played a formative role in the development of the Baltic Sea region. This type of voluntary cooperation is often seen as a precursor to the European Union, as it fundamentally shaped pre-modern society and created a lasting community of cities. 

The rich cultural heritage of the Hanseatic League is presented individually in each Hanseatic city, but has never been presented as a connecting link on a transnational level. Yet it contains the cultural and historical foundations of a regional identity in the Baltic Sea region.

This is where the Hansalink project, part of the EU’s ‘Interreg Baltic Sea Region’ programme, comes in. Hansalink is a collaboration between the FGHO, the association HanseVerein in Lübeck, the Gotlands Museum in Visby and the city of Veliky Novgorod. It aims to create transnational connections based on historical trade routes dating back to the Middle Ages. Citizens and tourists can thus experience a culture that was shaped by trade, individual encounters and common economic policy. The connection to the Cultural routes of the Council of Europe will support this work. This should highlight the existing contacts between the Hanseatic cities more clearly.