Hanseatic architecture

Hanseatic architecture refers to the building style used by the Hanseatic League, a medieval trading confederation of North German cities from the 12th to 17th centuries. It features sturdy brick structures with large windows, gabled facades, and decorative elements like stepped or crow-stepped gables. Buildings typically have a functional design, emphasizing durability and trade needs, while often including warehouses, merchant houses, and guild halls. This style reflects the league’s maritime focus and prosperous trading era, blending practicality with regional craftsmanship, and has left a distinctive architectural legacy in northern European port cities.