I had only vaguely heard of the Hanseatic League before I got to Stade as part of my itinerary along the German Half-Timbered Houses Route. Indeed, this impossibly quaint city, located in Lower Saxony near the North Sea, was a prominent member of the commercial confederation back in the medieval times.
And while it was later on eclipsed by Hamburg, Stade remained nonetheless a powerful seaport along the River Elbe.
This former prominent status can only mean two things for the contemporary visitor: 1, Stade was significant enough to become an administrative centre, and 2, various trades made it rich enough to build splendid and ornate buildings.
To say I was impressed to start my German Timber-Frame road trip in Stade would not be anywhere close to my actual level of excitement.
Visiting Stade For The First Time
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