Hanseatic city of Olsztyn | Poland

Postcard

Olsztyn is a city on the Łyna River in northeastern Poland. The card pictures the City hall, built in 1912-1916. The city was a member of the Hanseatic league.

 

In the mid-thirteenth century, North German seafaring merchants joined together to form the Hanseatic League as a way to pursue their shared economic interests. Throughout the North Sea and Baltic Sea region, up to 200 towns and cities were members of the League, as were several large trading houses. 

For over 400 years, the Hanseatic League played a major role in shaping economies, trade and politics before losing its significance in the mid-seventeenth century.