Opened in 2015 next to the Burgkloster monastery at the northern tip of the Altstadt, the Europäisches Hansemuseum is a serious attempt to tell the story of the Hanseatic League — the medieval trading federation that linked Bruges, Bergen, Novgorod, Tallinn, and dozens of cities in between. Lübeck was the capital.
The displays are organised chronologically, walking through immersive set-pieces — a fourteenth-century Russian fur depot, a Bergen trading post, the Diet of the Hanse — that mix original objects, reconstructions, and clear text in German and English. The route ends in the restored medieval monastery building above. Generous space, generous time required — count on at least two hours.