King's Lynn Hanse Festival 2009

King's Lynn celebrated its Hanseatic connections with a maritime extravaganza during the weekend of the 30th July - 2nd August 2009. The star attraction of the festivities was the arrival of the 15th century replica sailing ship the Lisa Von Lubeck, coming home from her home port in Germany.

Lynn has a long and illustrious maritime tradition, it was among England's most significant ports which formed the Hanseatic League and controlled trade in the Baltic and North Sea.

The first Hanse festival in King's Lynn, organised by the Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk, celebrated the town's historic links with the medieval Hanseatic League.

During the festival weekend visitors enjoyed the sound of sea shanties and songs of the sea along the quayside, street theatre, an al-fresco food fair, puppet shows, traditional maritime craft demonstrations, Hanseatic art exhibition, heritage walks, music from local bands and much more maritime merriment.

Three years ago Lynn became the only English member of the newly formed modern Hanseatic League whose members include Hamburg and Lubeck. The "new" HANSE hopes to foster and develop business links and promote cultural exchange and tourism within member towns and cities.

Follow the links below to discover King's Lynn's Hanseatic history.

King's Lynn and the Medieval Hanseatic League

King's Lynn and the Modern HANSE

Contact King's Lynn Tourist Information Centre for more information.

Last updated: 05 August 2009