The Wealth & Wonders of the Hanseatic Cities

This morning, we wake in Berlin, ready to examine its Hanseatic history. Founded in 1170, Berlin seems to have been ambitious from the start, quickly becoming one of the most industrious Hanseatic traders which helped the city to become the world city it is today. We start with a visit to the Church of St. Nikolai, the first church built in Berlin, located in the evocative Nicholas Quarter which houses a series of restored medieval buildings. We continue to the 13th century Franciscan Monastery whose ruins make its brick gothic architecture even more evocative. This evening we join our ship and prepare to embark on our cruise.

Having established itself as a vibrant ‘new town’, Berlin continued to grow in influence from the 15th century onwards. Under the rule of the Hohenzollern, it grew to European and then world city.

Exclusive Andante Excursion: We set the scene by exploring Berlin’s highlight sites from the outside, starting at the site of the newly rebuilt town palace, once the royal palace of the Hohenzollern from the 15th to 20th centuries, to the Brandenburg Gate, taking in the Opera House and Humboldt University on the way. In so doing, we will explore Berlin’s rise to power, from being first the Prussian and then German capital, a biography of the city that would dominate the 20th century.

In the afternoon, Nick Jackson, who lives in Berlin will take you to Potsdam to visit the inimitable Sanssouci Palace, the rococo summer dwelling built in order to provide Frederick the Great with an escape from the demands of court life, hence its French soubriquet meaning without worry.

We spend the morning cruising down the Elbe, which has always been navigable by commercial vessels and which, therefore allowed Hanseatic cities to be linked. After lunch onboard we land in Hohenwarthe from whence we depart on our afternoon excursion. In the evening we cruise towards Wolfsburg.

Exclusive Andante Excursion: Magdeburg, badly damaged during the Second World War, has a wonderful core of medieval buildings which bring its Hanseatic history to life. Founded by Charlemagne, the city rose to become one of the most powerful Hansa cities, something evident in its impressive cathedral dedicated to Saints Catherine and Maurice, one of the oldest Gothic churches in Germany and the largest in Eastern Germany. We continue to the Buttergasse, a vaulted cellar which lies in the heart of the Alter Markt, the political and commercial heart of the medieval city which we view from the outside. Finally, we visit the Monastery of Our Lady, which was founded in the 11th century and remains one of the best-preserved Romanesque buildings in the city.

We arrive at Wolfburg early in the morning and depart soon thereafter to make the most of our morning visit. In the afternoon, we cruise towards Luneberg where we dock for the night.

Exclusive Andante Excursion: We drive a short distance to Braunschweig, today an important centre for research and development and once an important member of the Hanseatic league. We start with a view of the Burgplatz where we see the Veltheimsches Haus, a 16th century half-timbered seigneurial house with remarkable decoration. In the same historic square, we see the Dankwarderode Castle, once the home of the Dukes of Braunschweig, as well as the Cathedral of St. Blaise and John the Baptist, built in the 12th century by Henry the Lion and the burial place of Caroline of Brunswick, wife of George IV. We end our tour in Braunschweig with a visit of the Altstadtmarkt which houses a clutch of historical buildings, including the Gewandhaus, guild house of the tailors.

We awake in Lueneburg and cruise in the afternoon towards Hamburg where the ship docks for the night.

Exclusive Andante Excursions: This morning we explore Lueneburg, one of the oldest cities in the region which developed a monopoly on salt in the early medieval period, something which ensured its wealth due to the importance of the trade in pickled herrings. One of the few cities in the area not damaged in the Second World War, Lueneburg preserves much of its medieval charm. We start the tour with the Alter Kran, the 14th century crane over the river harbour which helped to transport salt to Luebeck. From there we walk a short distance to the Stintmarkt, the medieval fish market and thence to the Am Sande Markt a medieval market home to St. John’s Church, the city’s oldest church. In the afternoon we visit Hamburg Museum housed in the Hamburg Castle which recounts the city’s rise to power in the time of the Hanseatic League.

Today we wake up in Hamburg, one of the largest and most important cities in Germany despite a series of historic manmade and natural disasters, including fires, floods and Second World War. Its importance in the Hanseatic League is fossilised in the city’s official name, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The ship is docked the whole day here.

Exclusive Andante Excursion:

We spend the whole day in Luebeck, perhaps the most important Hanseatic city. We start with the Museum of the Hanse, the most significant of its kind and housed in a Dominican friary. After lunch, we explore the World Heritage city on foot, starting with the twin towered 15^th century Burgtor iconic and continue to the Heiligen-Geist-Hospital, one of the world’s oldest social institutions before exploring the impressive 13^th century Marienkirche. We end the day with a visit to the Holstentor whose characteristic architecture is famed throughout Germany.

This morning we disembark our ship and make our way back to the UK.