Why is this happening? Well, there are about 200 Hansestädte across North and Central Europe, and they have a fascinating history – not least the story of how cities were founded and international trade was carried out 750 years ago.
I’m also interested in different ways of approaching our history: it doesn’t have to begin with volumes of serious academic work, and (not just for children) the few seconds spent looking at a postcard can lead to a curiosity that takes you further into your subject – at least that’s how it works for me. I’m no expert on the Hanse; but I am interested in both the history and the present of the Hansestädte, how our past informs our present, and relationships between countries.
As an extra dimension to this project, the Outer Hebrides, where I live, has a long history of trading with the Baltic, mostly fish for tar and timber. Scalloway in Shetland is known as a Hanseatic trading town, but as far as I’m aware, nowhere in the Hebrides is. I’m looking for more information about this.
And I like getting postcards. Postcrossing.com is the place to organise that, and my friends on the forum there have sent me most of the cards here. They all know how grateful I am.
There are many places still missing from the collection (see the list) and contributions are very welcome. In the spirit of Postcrossing, I offer trades in return: cards from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Just get in touch if you’d like to trade.
- asgerd 
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