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What goods did the Hanseatic League transport from eastern Europe to western Europe?
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Hanseatic League
Hanseatic port of Hamburg, manuscript illumination from the Hamburg City Charter of 1497.
The Hanseatic League facilitated a vital east-west trade network, connecting the "colonial" lands of eastern Europe—specifically modern-day Russia and Poland—with the industrial markets of western Europe, such as Flanders and England.1
The league transported a variety of food surpluses and raw materials from the eastern hinterland to the west, including:
- Grain
- Timber and pitch
- Tar, potash, and charcoal
- Wax and honey
- Hemp and flax1
In exchange, the western regions sent cloth and various manufactured goods eastward to the Slavic territories. This east-west carrying traffic served as the primary economic foundation of the league's power.1