Ancient Wrocław was founded on an island in the Odra/Oder, at the intersection of two trade routes: the Amber Road (Bernsteinstraße/Jantarowy Szlak) linking the Baltic to the Adriatic, and the east-west Via Regia linking the Rhine with Silesia. It flourished as a trade town and by the 14th century, markets were held on Thursday and Saturdays and there were three annual trade fairs, on St John’s Day, St Elizabeth’s Day and in October. Merchants came from the Baltic, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, and furs and hemp from the east were traded for finished textiles and luxuries from the west.
Wrocław was a member of the Hanseatic League from 1387 to 1515, although the city did not derive much benefit from the association and its active participation ended in 1474 as the Hansa’s influence declined and independent trade circles were formed, with connections to Leipzig, Nuremberg and Augsburg (none of which had been in the Hansa.)
