Hanseatic League

The Hanseatic League was an economic, political and military confederation of market towns in Northern Europe. In the 14th century, Stargard joined the chapter of the Hanseatic League which had been founded in 1241. The main driver of the economic and commercial development of the town during that period was the Ina river. From the town harbour, which was located near the Mill Gate (Brama Młyńska), flat-bottomed barges carried goods to the sea port in Inoujście where cargo was loaded on sea ships and exported to other Hanseatic towns and cities. Grain was the most precious commodity traded by Stargard. The town imported, among others, fabrics from England, Flanders, Frisia and Brabant. Next to the Griffonet, you can see a cog – a type of ship widely used by the Hanseatic merchants. The cog is a single-masted merchant vessel which could also be used as a warship. Cogs, which usually had crews of 80 to 90 sailors, were one of the main ship types used on the Baltic Sea in the 13th and 14th century.