Amber Road

Timeline

1. c. -500–1400Southern coast of the Baltic Sea · Baltic SeaAmber was collected along the Baltic coast and shipped south by sea or land to Prussia, Poland, and Bohemia, then joined traditional trade routes leading to Italy and the Mediterranean.
2. c. 1300–1600Danzig–Kraków–Vienna axis · Central EuropeHanseatic ports such as Danzig became hubs for amber processing and export; overland routes through the Kingdom of Poland connected to southern German roads, while river transport linked the Vistula and Oder systems, forming an indirect Baltic–Mediterranean trade chain.
3. 1611–1620Baltic–Poland corridor · PolandWars of the 1610s disrupted traditional trade routes, but amber, salt, and grain were still transshipped through ports such as Danzig and Lübeck; Dutch shipping competition and overland blockades forced route adjustments, yet the Baltic–Central European corridor retained commercial and military logistical value in 1611–1620.