Hanseatic League

*This article is a stub. You can help The Guild 3 Wiki by expanding it.*

The free cities of **Lübeck** (= Liubice = the lovely one) and **Hamburg** (= castle on a swamp hill) founded the **Hanseatic League** and have been the seat of its power ever since. They are located in the north of the Holy Roman Empire.

Their strategically advantageous locations – Lübeck has direct access to the **Baltic Sea** and Hamburg's ships can reach the **North Sea** via the river Elbe – have brought both cities great wealth and power, and they now rule over large tracts of land. The Stecknitz Canal was opened in 1398, connecting the cities with one another. It has allowed much larger quantities of goods to be transported much quicker.

Further north is the Free City of **Kiel** (= tom Kyle = at the firth), which is also part of the Hanseatic League. Without a direct connection to the canal, the city is less successful than its sister cities. After a few decades, Kiel was thrown out of the league, for harbouring pirates.

"Hamburg, Lübeck and Kiel" is the largest map of the game with three cities, ten city districts, and six villages.

**Note:** If the player moves their residence from one city to the other, they'll loose all their held offices in the previous city!

## Geography

The map is cut into several pieces by the rivers Elbe, Alster, Trave, the Stecknitz Canal and other minor rivers. Each of the three cities possesses two villages associated with them.

The city of Hamburg is the biggest city of the map, and located in the south. The rivers Elbe and Alster, plus their canals cut the landscape into several islands, which are occupied by the city districts. The river Elbe connects it to the North Sea.

The city of Lübeck in the north-east is surrounded by arms of the river Trave, and has by it direct access to the Baltic Sea. It is smaller than Hamburg and connected to it by the Stecknitz Canal.

The city of Kiel is located in the north-west of the map, on a firth of the Baltic Sea. It is the smallest of the three cities, and has no direct river connection to Hamburg.

All cities are nicely walled off, overlooking their rivers or the Baltic Sea. All cities have their own city hall with their own government, but a common sovereign. In addition, they have their own school, port, arsenal, and execution site as well.

## City Districts of Hamburg

**Hamburg** is located in the southern part of the map on both banks of the rivers Elbe and Alster. It is distributed on several islands. So much water in and around it, explains the meaning of the original name "Hammaburg": castle on a swamp hill. Hamburg is therfore sometimes called the "Venice of the North".

The city districts are named after their patron saints. Three of them share a common wall. Only Sankt Pauli has its own wall. All four form a compact city in close neighbourship to their two villages.

### Sankt Petri

Sankt Petri (orange) is the main district in the east of Hamburg and distributed on two islands. The bigger one (on the picture right) is dominated by the cathedral "Salvation" in the south, and the market place with a nearby well in the north. The smaller island (on the picture left) has a school and the city hall.

### Sankt Nikolai

Sankt Nikolai (magenta) has only one small island in the west of Hamburg's core. It has a market place in the north with a nearby well. The port in the south also belongs to this district.

### Sankt Catherinen

Sankt Catherinen (green) in the south of Hamburg's core, is quite an interresting district, as one of its three islands is outside of the city walls.

The north island has a market place with a nearby well. The center island houses the arsenal just across the port at the south tip of Sankt Nikolai. The unprotected south island has a fishing spot (river Elbe), a cemetery, a brushwood, and a grove (from west to east).

### Sankt Pauli

Sankt Pauli (pink) is a district of Hamburg, seperate of the other three, west of them, across the river Alster. It's center is formed by the market place and the church "Twelve Apostles", and a well north of it.

The rest are a lot of residences and workshops, plus some empty building space.

## City Districts of Lübeck

**Lübeck** is located in the north-east part of the map and embraced by the arms of the river Trave. The tributary Wakenitz protects an additional city district outside of this embrace.

The districts of Sankt Magdalena and Sankt Marien share a common wall, with Sankt Jürgen, on the eastern side of a moat, having its own.

The name "Lübeck" is derived from the Slavic word "Liubice", which means "the lovely one". The "lovely" city districts are named after their patron saints. Its villages are quite far away.

### Sankt Magdalena

Sankt Magdalena (brown) is the main district of Lübeck with most of the public buildings.

Luckily, the famous "Holsten Tor", **the** landmark of Lübeck, Holstein, and Germany, made it into the game. Strictly spoken, it has to be named the "Center Holsten Gate", as there had been four gates in total. It shouldn't be there at the beginning of the game, as it was not finished until 1478, but we leave this to the artistic liberty of the game developers.

The district is dominated by the castle "Mariasburg", with the city hall inside of its walls, and the execution site and a well just south of it.

The market place is located north-east of the castle, and the seaport north-west of it, close to the river Trave leading out into the Baltic Sea. Lastly, the school can be found between the castle and the "Holsten Tor", on the banks of the river Trave.

### Sankt Marien

Compared to Sankt Magdalena, Sankt Marien (green) is rather poorly furnished with public buildings, although the cathedral "Kingdom of Heaven" looks quite impressive.

East of it, there's a market place, with a well, hidden between two houses. The arsenal is in the west of the district near a bridge leading to the "Holsten Tor". Finally, Lübeck's second port, the river port, is located in the south-west corner of this district.

### Sankt Jürgen

Sankt Jürgen (blue), on the east side of a moat, looks more like a walled-off village, than like a town. It has only a market place and a well. Even the church is missing!

Behind its walls flows the river Wakenitz. The cemetery and the mine on its banks, technically belong to the surroundings.

## City Districts of Kiel

**Kiel** is located in the north-western part of the map on the shore of the Baltic Sea, at the "Kieler Förde", the firth of Kiel (or Kiel fjord). The city is protected by a moat and the walls.

Kiel consists of three districts, nicely located side by each, seperated by the walls and the city moats. Its villages are in a medium distance of the city.

The name is derived from "Holstenstadt tom Kyle", Holstein town at the firth, later shortened to "Kyle" (pronounced "keel-eh"), and again shortened to "Kiel" (pronounced "keel").

### Old Town

The Old Town of Kiel (yellow) has nearly all important public buildings. In one row from the east to the west, you'll find: the port, the church "Twelve Apostles", a market place, the city hall, and a well.

The arsenal and the execution site are located in the north of the district.

### Suburb

Kiel's Suburb (red) is located south of the Old Town. It has the church "Holy Trinity", a nearby well, and the market place. That's all.

### Brunswick

Brunswick (= settlement atop of a cliff) (cyan), located north of the Old Town, has Kiel's only school. In addition, there's the church "St. Helena", a market place, and a well, everything quite close to the gate to the south.

## Villages

### Eymersbuttele

The village of Eymersbuttele (= Elimar's homestead, today Eimsbüttel) (red) is located just north of Hamburg's city district Sankt Pauli. It has the church "Good Hope", with a well in front of it, and the market place in its center.

A lumberyard is in the very west, and a grove is hidden in the woods to the north. Finally, a nice fishing spot can be found near the bridge, leading to Sankt Petri to the east.

### Borgesch

The village of Borgesch (Borg-esch = pig pasture) (blue) is located east of Hamburg's city district Sankt Petri. It has the "luck" to house the execution site just at the bridge leading into the city.

A cemetery and a fishing spot are close by the moat, seperating the village from the city. A mine is located in the hills to the north. The market place is about halfway between it and the execution site. The well is somewhat hidden in woods to the east.

Today, the "Borgesch" is a part of Hamburg's district "Sankt Georg", and no longer used as a pig pasture. Although, some two-legged pigs might still live there ...

### Mönkhagen

The village of Mönkhagen (= monk's enclosure) (green) is located west of Lübeck, and can be reached, by usinge the "Holsten Tor".

The district has a nice compact center, made from the church "St. Helena", the market place, a well, and the cemetery. A grove is hidden behind the church, and a brushwood in the very north near the river Trave.

### Ratzeburg

The village of Ratzeburg (= Slavic prince Ratibor's castle, **not** rat's castle), is located quite far from its city Lübeck, up the river Wakenitz. It was built on an island amidst the "Lake of Ratzeburg".

The island has a well, the market place, the church "Twelve Apostles", and a cemetery on the northern end. In addition, the village has a brushwood at the bridge to the east, and - of course - a fishing spot at the bridge to the south.

### Doberstorpe

The village of Doberstorpe (= Slavic good village, today Dobersdorf) (magenta) is located on the east side of the Firth of Kiel.

The village has a compact core with the church "St. Joseph", a well, and the market place. A brushwood is located at the local lake. As Doberstorpe originally was founded by fishermen, a fishing spot can't be missing.

### Mielkestorpe

The village of Mielkestorpe (meaning unknown) (cyan) is located south of the Suburb of Kiel.

As usual, it has a well, a market place, and the church "St. Lawrence" in its center.
In addition, there's a fishing spot at the nearby river, and a quarry in the hills to the west.

## Other Places

### Waterways

There are a lot of bodies of water on the map:

First, the rivers Elbe, Trave, Alster, Eider, and Wakenitz have to be mentioned. Second, there are the North Sea (west of Hamburg) and the Baltic Sea (north of Lübeck and Kiel). Third, there's the Stecknitz Canal, an artificial waterway finished in 1398. And in addition: some city moats and canals, dug out, to protect the cities in addition to the city walls.

The rivers and the sea offer access to the long distance trade routes to Gdansk (north-east), Heligoland (west), London (west) , Magdeburg (south), and Visby (north-west).

To unlock the trade route, the character has to go to the proper port. Once unlocked, any of the four ports on the map can be used to trade with the unlocked city. - Unsure, if this is intended like this, or if it is a bug.

### Surrounding Region

Scattered around the Surrounding Region (grey), many small locations can be found:
five cemeteries, five groves, four brushwoods, a fishing spot, four lumberyards, three mines, and two quarries.

It also offers access to the long distance trade routes to Bremen (south-west), Lüneburg (south), Ribe (north-west), Rostock (east), and Schwerin (south-east).

Technically, there are three Surrounding Regions of the three cities, but they are all summarized under this paragraph.

## Trade Routes

The map offers ten long distance trade routes to be opened:

* South-west: to Bremen (= Brema = at the brim) from Hamburg via road
* North-east: to Gdansk (= Danish, uncertain) from Lübeck via the river Trave
* West: to Heligoland (= maybe Heiligland = holy land) from Hamburg via the river Elbe
* West: to London (= Celtic Londonjon = place that floods periodically) from Hamburg via the river Elbe
* South: to Lüneburg (= Old Saxon hliuni burc = castle of refuge) from Hamburg via road
* South: to Magdeburg (= maiden's castle) from Hamburg via the river Elbe
* North-west: to Ribe (= Danish ripa = strips) from Kiel via road
* East: to Rostock (= Slavic rastokŭ = flow apart) from Lübeck via road
* South-east: to Schwerin (= Slavic zuarina = animal garden) from Lübeck via road
* North-west: to Visby (= sacrificial place) from Kiel via the Baltic Sea

## Additional information

* Find out more about Hamburg, Lübeck, Kiel, and the Hanseatic League on Wikipedia.

Hanseatic League was last edited for version 1.0.4.

Hanseatic League was last edited for version 1.0.4.