Wendish League of Cities

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The Wendish League of Cities was formed in 1259 between Lübeck , Stralsund , Wismar , Kiel and Rostock . It served to secure the trade routes on land and at sea and is considered to be the nucleus of both the later Wendish quarter and the German Hanseatic League as a whole. Its roots lay in the alliance between Hamburg and Lübeck of 1230, contractually stipulated in 1241. It was strengthened by Lüneburg, which is traditionally allied with Hamburg, and later by the Pomeranian cities of Greifswald , Stettin and Anklam . Some of these cities were also united in the Wendish Mint Association . The name is derived from the Elbe Slavic tribe of the Wends .

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