Following Medieval Merchant Paths

Program Overview

Two-Week Itinerary

Days 1-7: Northern Trade Network

• Lübeck: Hanseatic League headquarters, warehouses, and guild halls
• Hamburg: Port facilities and customs records from 1300-1500
• Bremen: Weighing systems and quality control mechanisms
• Bruges: Cloth trade documentation and merchant banking practices
• Archive sessions analyzing shipping manifests and account ledgers

Days 8-14: Alpine Trade Routes

• Brenner Pass: Walking the medieval route, examining rest stops
• Augsburg: Banking families and metal trade networks
• Great St. Bernard Pass: Hospice records and seasonal transport patterns
• Venice: Spice trade warehouses and maritime insurance documents
• Final workshop comparing northern and southern trade systems

Research Components

Each day includes 2-3 hours working with historical documents: customs records, merchant correspondence, guild regulations, and account books. Evening discussions connect what you've read to physical sites visited that day.

Group Size

Maximum 10 participants

Included

Archive access, expert guides, research materials, local transportation

Not Included

Accommodation, meals, international travel

What You'll Learn

Medieval trade created the cities we know today, but the routes themselves tell you more than the destinations. This program follows two major commercial networks: the Hanseatic League's Baltic and North Sea connections, and the Alpine passes linking Italian city-states to northern Europe.

You'll see how geography forced specific routes, why certain cities became wealthy while others declined, and what merchants actually transported. The schedule balances time in archives looking at customs records and account books with days walking the physical routes—mountain passes, river crossings, and coastal harbors.

We start in Lübeck, examining the Hanseatic League's organizational structure and warehouse systems. Then move through Hamburg, Bremen, and Bruges, studying how merchant guilds controlled quality and prices. The second week shifts to Alpine routes: the Brenner Pass, Great St. Bernard Pass, and Simplon Pass, with stops in Augsburg and Venice.

Each location includes sessions with local historians who work with medieval commercial documents. You'll learn to read merchant marks, understand medieval weights and measures, and track how goods like wool, spices, and metals moved across Europe. The program assumes you're curious about economic history and willing to spend time with primary sources.