Predecessor Trade Network of the Hanseatic League

Timeline

1. 1121–1125Hamburg · HamburgIn the 1120s, Hamburg served as a port at the mouth of the Elbe, from which German merchants set out along North Sea and Baltic routes. Although Lübeck was not formally founded until 1157, merchants were already gathering in the vicinity, laying the groundwork for its later role as a core Hanseatic port.
2. 1124–1128Visby · GotlandVisby on Gotland became an important Baltic transit port in the 1120s, where German and Scandinavian merchants exchanged goods. Visby later became a key Hanseatic stronghold in the eastern Baltic, and trade activity in the 1120s already showed the beginnings of this role.
3. 1126–1129Novgorod · NovgorodGerman merchants entered Rus' waters via the Baltic and established early commercial contacts in Novgorod, importing eastern furs and beeswax and exporting Western European textiles and metalware. This route was institutionalized in the 13th century through the 'Gotenhof' (German merchants' yard), with the 1120s as the precursor stage.