News
This was the Hanseatic Day in Visby!
For four days, everything revolved around culture, history, music and art from the Hanseatic cities in the medieval old town of Visby. On Thursday evening, the Hanseatic Day traditionally began with a large city parade and was then officially opened by Mayor Meit Fohlin and HANSA President Jan Lindenau. The opening event was rounded off in style with an ABBA cover show.
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New HANSA Presidium and new Guild Chairs elected
As part of the 45th International Hanseatic Day in Visby on June 7, the new Presidium of the Union of Cities THE HANSA was elected. The Assembly of Delegates unanimously elected Christof Bartsch (Brilon), Inger Harlevi (Visby), Vineta Pūce (Valmiera) and Peter Snijders (Zwolle) to the Presidium. An election was also on the agenda at the meeting of the HANSA Guild.
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Guild member Wijnand Akkerman appointed a Knight
On May 28th Wijnand Akkerman from Zwolle (The Netherlands) received the royal decoration of Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau from mayor Peter Snijders. Wijnand Akkerman has been active in the fields of cultural heritage, tourism and carnival for over forty years. As a born and bred Zwolle resident, he is dedicated to his city and the Hanseatic idea.
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Annual meeting of youthHansa in Zutphen
The annual introductory afternoon of the Dutch YouthHansa Association (De Nederlandse Jeugdhanze) took place on Wednesday 7 May 2025. Young people from eight different Hanseatic cities had the opportunity to get to know each other better in preparation for the International Hanseatic Days, which will take place in Visby this year.
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youthHansa Meeting in Stade
Over the weekend of 16-18 May, the Hanseatic city of Stade hosted a meeting of North German youth delegates for the first time after the pandemic. The aim was to give young people the opportunity to exchange ideas and get in the mood together in the run-up to the International Hanseatic Day.
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Voyage to the Hanseatic Day: Kamper Kogge sets sail
On 10 May, the Kamper Kogge left its home port for Sweden. In just over three weeks, Henk van Voornveld and his crew plan to arrive in the harbour of Visby on the island of Gotland just in time for the start of the 45th International Hanseatic Day. It is the longest sea voyage the cog has ever undertaken.
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Day of the Hansa 2025: Cities celebrate their heritage
Every third weekend in May, the Union of Cities celebrates the "Day of the Hansa". In many towns and cities, exhibitions, city tours and activities related to the Hanseatic League take place on this weekend. Read here, which cities participate this year.
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youthHansa: Münster get-together
On Thursday, 28 November 2024, the first get-together of the international and the Dutch youthHansa took place in Münster. Young people from Hanseatic cities in Germany, the Netherlands and Finland came together to get to know each other better in preparation for the International Hanseatic Day, which will take place in Visby in June 2025.
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Participation of the international youthHansa in the 11th Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue of the CBSS in Gdansk!
The Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue 2024 was all about the Hanseatic League: 20 young people from the Baltic Sea region discussed the region's cultural heritage and its significance in the present in Gdansk. The international youthHansa was also represented and presented youthHansa as a unique platform for youth networking in Europe as part of interactive sessions.
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A successful "MiniHansetag" 2.0 in York
For the second time in a row, the British Youth Hanseatic League hosted the „MiniHansetag“ from 3 April to 6 April. This year, the event took place in York: a city in the north-east which attracts over 2 million visitors every year due to its authentic medieval and Hanseatic character despite its manageable size. A total of 15 young people from England, the Netherlands, France and Germany came together to explore this unique city and its surroundings.
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