The German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, north of Berlin and east of Hamburg includes much of the historic region known as Prussia. The cities along the northern coast, on the Baltic sea, were where the powerful Hanseatic League was formed and from which it spread into the Baltic States and as far as Novgorod in Russia.
The Hanseatic League
The league was a voluntary association of merchants and trading towns and cities, with special rights granted to it by multiple rulers. Fleets of trading vessels, called Kogge (pronounced Cog), linked them together from the 13th to the 17h centuries. In many ways they were the first European Common Market. This trading network spread across the Baltic into Sweden, Norway and the Finnish areas of Russia and even down the coast of the North Sea to western Europe and Britain.
Trade brought prosperity, which in turn brought a distinctive architectural style to the Hansa cities and towns. The ornate gable-ended houses of those Medieval merchants and traders still give visitors a feeling of the adventurous days when Hansa ships ruled the northern seas. Because of the Hansa’s success, Hamburg rose to power and prestige, as did the “Queen City of the Hansa” -- Lubeck.
Lubec, Wismar, Rostock, Stralsund and Greifswald also became wealthy from Hansa League trade. This trading power, along with wealth generated by the adjacent rich and fertile agricultural lands, created a prosperity that spread throughout the region. During the formative years of the German state, in the mid-19th century, many of the leaders of the new nation state came from these towns and cities.
Two World Wars and GDR Neglect
Like most of the rest of Germany, the aftermath of the First World War was disastrous for this region. Largely agricultural, it suffered through the Great Depression until it was embroiled in World War II. Its coastal cities, still dependent upon shipping and fishing, saw these industries decline during the war years. Military bases in and around the ancient cities made them targets of Allied bombing attacks. In Wismar, for example, the major Luftwaffe airbase near the port resulted in severe damage to the old city. The eastern parts of Pomerania became part of Poland with the western segment joined to Mecklenburg.
During the post-war years much of this region was part of the east German state, the GDR, and was exploited but largely ignored by East German authorities. Some repairs were done, but many older damaged building were replaced by bland newer structures, while little effort was made by the East German state to rebuild and restore churches and other historic buildings. As one older man we met recently put it, “You must remember that here in the East we have had almost a century of bad times.”
German Reunification Brings New Hope
November 9, 1989 brought a change that few had thought possible. The ugly wall that had divided Berlin was broken through, and all along the East-West German border the barriers fell. In Wismar, separated from Lubeck by a driving time of only half an hour before “The Wall”, word of its fall came just after a protest rally. So many people set out immediately for Lubeck that the bumper-to-bumper one-way trip took six hours.
It was not long before the East German state itself dissolved. Reunification of Germany has meant much for the region. Reconstruction, largely financed by the German government, has restored many of the historic churches, palaces and Medieval town centers that had been allowed to deteriorate over the fifty years of GDR misrule.
Private industry and business has taken hold and flourished and from small towns to larger cities, a prosperity not seen in decades has firmly taken hold. Many of the palatial homes of former royalty, aristocrats and wealthy landowners have been converted to hotels, small inns and B&Bs. Driving through lush crop lands and beautifully kept villages today, it is hard to conjure up the vision of the harsh, repressive regime and grim life that held this region in its grip a mere 20 years ago.
Traveling in Northeast Germany
Both Berlin and Hamburg are easy access points to reach Mecklenburg - Vorpommern from the US by frequent connecting flights through Frankfort via Lufthansa Airlines. Both, as well as Lubeck, Wismar and most other Hansa cities can also be reached by Germany’s rail network. But the best way to explore this region is by renting a car – easy to do from Hamburg’s or Berlin’s airports – and driving through its beautiful coastal and lake-strewn landscapes and towns. Parking is abundant in the cities and Americans are warmly welcomed by locals anxious to practice their English.
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