Links

http://hansaproject.ru/en - Internet-site of the EU "HansaLInks" project (full name - "Hanseatic Cities: Revived Historical Links for Modern Cultural Management"). The project is implemented by NGO "Lake Peipsi Project, Pskov" (Russia) in collaboration with the City of Pskov (Russia), the Hanseatic City of Rostock (Germany) and the Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation (Estonia) from September 2010 to March 2012.

The web-site accumulates information about all of the project activities, aimed at the development of Russian Hanseatic movement; it operates in two languages - Russian and English; provides subscription to news and their exchange in RSS format.

http://hanse.org - official web-site of the City League "The Hanse", - the biggest cultural association of cities in the world that unites 176 cities from 16 European countries, including 13 Russian historic cities - Belozersk, Veliky Novgorod, Veliky Ustyug, Vologda, Ivangorod, Kaliningrad, Kingisepp, Pskov, Smolensk, Tver, Tikhvin, Torzhok, Tot'ma.

The web-site contains the News section, which covers events of the Hanse League as well as information about the cities-participants of the Hanseatic movement in two languages - English and German.

http://1150.novgorod.ru/read/hanseatic-days - official web-site of the XXIX International Hansa Days in Veliky Novgorod in 2009.

The web-site contains the whole information about the event.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_League - Hanseatic League at the Wikipedia.

The web-page contains general information about the history of the Hanseatic union.

http://hansapaevad.ee - official web-site of Tartu's annual local Hansa Days - one of the most spectacular and effective Hanseatic events.

The web-site is updated annually - for each next Hansa Days.

www.hanzakaunas.lt - official web-site of XXXI International Hansa Days in Kaunas (Lithuania) in 2011.

For the first time in history of the Hanseatic movement altogether 12 Russian cities took part in the event: Belozersk, Veliky Novgorod, Veliky Ustyug, Vologda, Ivangorod, Kaliningrad, Kingisepp, Pskov, Smolensk, Tver, Tikhvin and Torzhok.

http://hansetag2012.de - official web-site of XXXII International Hansa Days in Luneburg (Germany) in 2013.

Russian Hansa

In July 30, 2010 in Velikiy Novgorod City a new organization was established to consolidate the Russian Hansa - a non-profit organization "Union of Russian Hanseatic cities". The founders of the Union were 10 of 13 Russian Hanseatic cities namely Belozersk, Velikiy Novgorod, Velikiy Ustyug, Vologda, Ivangorod, Kingisepp, Pskov, Tver, Tikhvin and Torzhok.

The goal of the Union is to deepen and to strengthen cultural, scinetific, public anf economic links between the member-cities of the Union as well as with the foreign partners - cities of the Hansa League of the New Times. Any Russian municipality, which is a participant of the International Hansa, may join the Union.

The supreme governing body of the Union is the General Assembly that is generated from the number of authorized representatives of the participating cities. Meeting is held once a year. Current activities of the Union are directed by a collegial management body - the Council of the Union. The Council consists of 5 members elected by the annual General Assembly. Mayor of Velikiy Novgorod is the Chairman of the Council of the Union. Given the tradition of the Hanseatic League of the New Times Chairman of the Council, the Mayor of Veliky Novgorod has an honorary title - President of the Union of Russian Hanseatic cities. Currently, Velikiy Novgorod City, and the Union are headed by Mr. Yuri Bobryshev.

+7-8162-99-41-63
http://hansarus.org
orvn@adm.nov.ru

Official Representative Office of the Union is located in Velikiy Novgorod City.

The Head of the Office is the Head of Cultural Heritage Department of the Velikiy Novgorod City Administration Mr. Vladimir Orlov.

One of the main events consolidating Russian Hansa are Russian Hansa Days. Their long-run schedule is being forming. In June 2011 the 1st Russian Hansa Days took place in Velikiy Novgorod. The next festival will be held in 2012 in Belozersk Town (Vologda Region). In 2013, the honor to host the Russian Hansa will be delivered to Pskov City, in 2014 - to Kingisepp Town (Leningrad Region).

About Hansa

The Hansa (from the Old German 'Hansa' - group, union) - was a union of free German city-states in the 13-17th centuries. These cities were conveniently located so that they could control the flows of goods between the Baltic and the North Seas. In partner-cities of the union abroad Hansa houses were created. At various points in history uniting up to 170 cities and towns of the Western and Northern Europe, the Baltic States and Russia, the Hansa played a considerable part in the development of trade, diplomacy and intercultural dialog in the Pan-European space.

The interrelations of the Hansa and Russian cities comprised an entire epoch in the history of the latter. Velikiy Novgorod was a closer partner of the Hansa when compared to other towns, as it hosted some of the largest Hanseatic branches - the Gothic and the German foreign merchant courtyards. In Russia, the main export commodities were furs, and Novgorod controlled the respective game lands. From Pskov to Europe, mainly wax was exported, which played a pivotal role in indoors lighting, since it was the main material for candle production. Other towns of the Russian northwest also traded with the Hansa regularly, although in smaller scales. The Hansa formally existed until 1669, and yet no longer was it that powerful confederation of the past. Inside the Hansa, disagreements between the cities gradually brooded and grew, and quite many of them were simply conducting individual policies instead, which led to separation. The Hanseatic League ceased its activities due to the transfer of the world trade into the Atlantic Ocean, and the development of new forms of economic interactions.

In 1980, in the Netherlands the 700th Anniversary of the Hansa foundation was marked; that same year in the Dutch town of Zwolle, in order to support trade and tourism, an organization titled 'the Hanseatic League of the New Times' (unofficially referred to as the New Hansa) was established. Since then, annually several days are allocated for the Hansa Days festival, during which festivities are held in one of the New Hansa cities. The exhibitions, fairs and other township trade-related events of the Hansa Days are aiming at the restoration of the spirit of the medieval Hansa. The host-city of the festival and the guest-cities strive to promote themselves as cities rich in history, whose considerable part was connected with the medieval Hansa. Besides, in the course of the festival international fora are held, where New Hansa representatives discuss pressing issues of political, economic and cultural cooperation.

In 2009, for the first time in Russia, the festival was held in Velikiy Novgorod. The next international Hansa Days in Russia will be organized in Pskov in 2033.

At present, the New Hansa unites 176 towns and cities of 16 European states. The official website of the New Hansa can be found at http://hanse.org.