Westphalian Hanseatic League

Strength through community

The town of Beckum is a member of the Westphalian Hanseatic League, an association of currently 48 towns that was founded in 1983.

HH, HB, HL, HRO, HST - Hamburg, Bremen, Lübeck, Rostock and Stralsund are the five major Hanseatic cities that almost everyone knows today.

It should be noted that it was mainly merchants from Westphalia who settled in Lübeck, founded in the middle of the 12th century, on their trading expeditions to the Baltic Sea and from there opened up the Russian trading area via Riga and Novgorod. Originally founded to represent the interests of merchants abroad and for mutual protection, the Hanseatic League soon developed into a powerful trading organisation that enabled its members to open up new markets on a privileged basis.

After a relatively short time, the merchants of the Hanseatic League had already linked the markets of Western, Northern and Eastern Europe through a common trading organisation. As the merchants became increasingly wealthy, the economic and political influence of the cities grew. In its heyday, over 160 cities were united in the Hanseatic League. The economic areas in the north and east in particular owed their prosperity to this strong organisation. In the 14th century, the main trade routes from the west to the Baltic Sea shifted more and more to the north, and from the centre of Westphalia more and more to the sea, so that Westphalia inevitably became marginalised from Hanseatic trade. The old trade routes lost their importance and the sea routes gained in importance. Nevertheless, some Westphalian towns remained associated with the Hanseatic League until its demise in 1669.

Today, a good 300 years later, former Hanseatic cities from Hesse, Lower Saxony and Westphalia have revived the old alliance. On 25 June 1983 in Herford, 20 of them signed the founding charter of the WESTERN HANseatic League and designated the old imperial and Hanseatic city of Herford as its seat.

The member cities of this new Hanseatic League want to prove to their citizens and visitors that the old Hanseatic idea can once again contribute to increasing the attractiveness of a city and exerting the appeal expected of a Hanseatic city.

You can find lots of information about the member cities of the Westphalian Hanseatic League, event highlights, leisure tips and much more on the website of the Westphalian Hanseatic League.

(Source: Westf. Hanse)

41st Westphalian Hanseatic Day in Beckum

The 41st Westphalian Hanseatic Day took place in Beckum on 8 and 9 June 2023. In bright sunshine, 35 Westphalian cities presented themselves at the Hanseatic market. Visitors were able to find out more about the cities there. Whether cycle tours, walking tours or city tours - there was demand for everything that could be worth a trip. The Westphalian Hanseatic League was also represented musically on the stage on the market square.

The latest news on the Westphalian Hanseatic Days and a preview of the upcoming Hanseatic Days can be found here:

Westphalian Hanseatic Day - Westphalian Hanseatic League

Impressions of the Westphalian Hanseatic Days