On the fairway of the River Trave, which flows into the Baltic Sea, near the city of Lübeck, a sunken cargo sailboat from the Hanseatic period was discovered. Based on the wooden details, it was possible to determine that the ship was built in the mid-17th century, around 1650. At a depth of about eleven meters, the ship reaches about 20 meters in length and about eight meters in depth. width.

Parts of the ship’s hull, which according to experts is a typical Hanseatic League freighter Galliot or Fleute, are well preserved despite the long stay underwater. But the discovery is significant mainly because of the cargo discovered: there are more than 150 barrels in and around the sunken ship’s holds. This is the first find in the western part of the Baltic Sea. Scientists suggest the ship was heading from Scandinavia to Lübeck, but never reached its destination.

Why did the ship sink?

The wreckage, similar to parts of a sunken ship, was discovered accidentally two years ago – during geodetic and sounding work by the Office of Waterways and Navigation on the navigation channel at the mouth of the River Trave between Lübeck and the Baltic Sea. In August 2021, divers examined the area more closely and confirmed that the remains of a sunken ship were indeed located there. And just almost a year later, at the end of July 2022, the administration of Lübeck and the local department for the protection of historic monuments reported a valuable archaeological find.

Archaeologists do not rule out that the sunken ship could be related to the wreck in the grass in 1680, recorded in the archive of the city of Lübeck. Some of the barrels in the holds are still stowed away, which excludes the capsized ship version. No traces of fire were found. Therefore, experts suggest that a merchant ship, approaching Lübeck, collided with a shallow one at a bend in the river and let it leak. She then apparently floated and sank.

New aspects to assess the meaning of Lübeck

Divers descended to the bottom of the Trave River thirteen times to examine the wreckage of the ship, its cargo and take pictures. According to preliminary results, at least some barrels contain quicklime, a raw material that was already important in construction and commerce in the 17th century.

Studying the wreck will provide “completely new dimensions” for assessing Lübeck’s significance for the Baltic Sea region, archaeologists Manfred Schneider, Dirk Rieger and Ingrid Sudhoff are sure. The city administration and team of archaeologists hope the discovery will broaden knowledge about the history of Lübeck, as well as the city’s historical trade relationships within the Hanseatic League.

For several centuries, Lübeck held a leading position in the Hanseatic League as an important trading metropolis. The city’s rise began in the 13th century, and in the 15th century Lübeck became the second largest city in Germany after Cologne. At the end of the 17th century, the Hanseatic League almost lost its importance, and only three cities participated in the last “Hanseatic Convention” in 1669.

The question of what to do with the ship’s remains is being decided. City officials are inclined to pick up the rubble from the bottom of the river and put it in mothballs. According to the mayor of Lübeck, Jan Lindenau, “the mission and duty of the Hanseatic city is to take care of the preservation of this sensational archaeological find”.