Long before modern trade blocs, a powerful alliance of merchant cities ruled the commerce of northern Europe: the Hanseatic League.

A medieval common market

From the 13th to 17th centuries, cities around the Baltic and North Seas — Lübeck, Hamburg, Bergen and beyond — banded together to protect trade routes and negotiate as a bloc.

An early lesson in cooperation

The League built shared rules, warehouses and even a common identity, foreshadowing later European integration.

Its legacy lingers in the proud merchant architecture of the old Hanseatic ports.