The Trade That Built Berlin: Hanse to Cold War

Berlin's rise from a muddy river crossing to a global capital was powered by trade. This episode follows the merchants who made it happen — from the medieval Hanseatic network that connected Spandau to Novgorod, to the Prussian toll bars that taxed grain boats on the Spree, to the 19th-century railway boom that turned Berlin into Europe's busiest freight hub. We meet the Flemish weavers who brought textile skills, the Huguenots who introduced luxury goods, and the Jewish bankers who financed Prussia's wars. We explore how the Berliner Börse became a center for railway shares, how the Friedrichstraße shopping arcade catered to nouveau riche industrialists, and how the city's riverine geography shaped its destiny. Along the way, we look at a specific cargo: salt. Berlin's salt trade with Lüneburg and Halle — via the Stecknitz Canal, one of Europe's oldest artificial waterways — reveals how a humble mineral could build fortunes, fund cathedrals, and spark conflicts. The episode ends with a reflective thought on how trade routes outlast empires. #Berlin #HanseaticLeague #SaltTrade #StecknitzCanal #Prussia #TradeHistory #Huguenots #BerlinerBörse #Friedrichstraße #Spree #ColdWar #RailwayHistory #FlemishWeavers #Lüneburg #Halle #EconomicHistory #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo