The Historical Association: Port Cities as Cosmopolitan Places? - the Hanseatic Cities in the Wake of Nazism

This lecture explores post-war reconstruction and the politics of local identity in three Hanseatic harbour cities: Hamburg, Lübeck and Bremen. It considers how these cities rebuilt after bombing and how their residents drew on their maritime past to present internationalism and reconciliation as compatible with local history and identity.

The talk also contrasts those perspectives with Nazi attempts to define the harbour towns as part of a tradition of projecting German national power onto the world stage. The event is especially relevant to those interested in modern European history, memory, urban identity, and the relationship between place, politics and historical narrative.

The lecture is delivered by Dr Jeremy DeWaal of the University of Exeter.