The Hanseatic League existed between the 12th and the 17th century. First it was only a union of merchants, but since the 14th century it was organised by the cities itself. Since then also Hanseatic Days were held frequently. The Hanseatic League was not only an important factor in the development of the Northern European economy but also of its politics and culture. At its climax nearly 300 coastal and inland cities joined the league. In the 15th century the demise of the Hanseatic League began with the strengthening of the local sovereigns, the shift of trade route and the new competitors developing due to the discovery of America. In 1669 only the nine cities Braunschweig, Bremen, Cologne, Gdańsk, Hamburg, Hildesheim, Lübeck, Osnabrück and Rostock came together for the last Hanseatic Day.
Lübeck was founded in 1143, but had already to be founded for a second time in 1159 after it was destroyed by fire. Henry the Lion, who rebuilt the city in 1159, relocated a diocese to Lübeck and built the cathedral in 1173. The city got the imperial immediacy in 1226 and soon controlled the trade in the Baltic Sea as Germany's leading Hanseatic city, The Queen of the Hanseatic League. The Lübeck law and the brick Gothic spread from Lübeck in the Baltic area. Lübeck withstood the Thirty Years' War in the 16th century and the end of the Hanseatic League, but suffered an economical setback in the Napoleonic Era during the French occupation between 1806 and 1811. In 1937 Lübeck lost its independence and became a part of the German State of Schlesweig-Holstein. Today is Lübeck Germany's most important port on the Baltic Sea and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To commemorate the 650th anniversary of the Hanseatic League of Cities Germany and Sweden issued a joint stamp on 7th September 2006. The stamp uses as indicator for the change from merchant to city league the first Hanseatic Day in 1356, where representatives from all cities were present.
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