A ‘large and strong maritime castle’ was raised on Jom [Wolin] island, and it was henceforth called Jomsborg, the Viking stronghold, the city of Wolin. It had a ‘harbour so large that three hundred long boats could stay in it at once’, according to the Jómsvikingasaga, an old Nordic narrative dated for the 12th century. The Vikings praised their various conquests and travels in sagas, and their poems and songs were recorded on rune stones. One such stone, praising the Dutch king who was the founder and ruler of the Wolin camp, can be viewed on the island of Wolin. The story of this king, Harald Blåtand, who united Scandinavia, inspired the creators of Bluetooth technology. The idea of a wireless connection between devices was named after his moniker – Blåtand means Bluetooth, and the Bluetooth logo is made up of the runic equivalents of his initials, HB. Blåtand’s daughter-in-law and the wife of his son Sweyn Forkbeard was Świętosława, the legendary daughter of Poland’s first Christian ruler, Mieszko I. Jom's Vikings were to protect the borders of his county.
Although truth is at times hard to separate from fantasy, archaeological research points unambiguously to the Nordic people’s presence on Polish territory. Various preserved objects are proof of this in Wolin (objects which are solely masculine possessions, in accordance with the Nordic tradition), and there are traces of Scandinavian artwork which was developing at the time, too. These artefacts can be viewed in a local museum, and from April through to October, tourists can also visit an open-air museum replica of the old fortress. The annual Slavs and Vikings’ Festival attracts those passionate about their culture from across the entire Old Continent.
From the sea to the cities
By the 11th century, Wolin started to lose its significance as the most important city of the Baltic Sea region. Cities like Gdańsk, Kołobrzeg, and Szczecin started competing for the position of international trade and sailing centres. The first communities of maritime merchants began to form in the Netherlands as early as the 12th century. The Hanseatic League played a growingly important role. It was created in 1356 at a gathering in Lubeck, with representatives from the Prussian territories around Toruń and Elbląg. Soon, the league spread out to encompass a territory stretching from the Dutch cities all the way up to the Russian Novgorod, bringing together up to 160 of the most important seacoast as well as inland settlements. This commercial and defensive confederation survived up to the early modern era.
As a bridge connecting the markets of Western and Eastern Europe, the Hanse excluded any exterior competition in trade in the Northern and Baltic Sea regions. Among the goods that were traded there was Flemish cloth, salt, fish, grains, wood, wax, and wine. Merchants who wished to stand out created social Patrician family groups. There were Brotherhoods of St. George who would feast at the Artus Courts in Toruń, Elbląg and Gdańsk. The latter city also saw the appearance of the Blackheads Society – a community of unmarried merchants who enjoyed a respected position in society.
The biggest economic entity which existed prior to the founding of the European Union shared a common language, Christian faith, a legal system, and cultural heritage. Far away from their families, merchants would spend their evenings on storytelling (their main protagonist was the trickster figure of Till Eulenspiegel, Dyl Sowizdrzał in Polish) or poetry readings (with many a ribald verse), and they enjoyed performances of theatrical sketches, as well as sailor’s songs. During the period of the war between the Hanseatic League and England, the Gdańsk fleet contributed to the 1473 victory. One of the conquered ships carried Hans Memling’s Final Judgement. The cities which once formed part of the Hanseatic trade route can be recognised from afar thanks to the high towers of their Gothic cathedrals, which also cemented the cities’ high rank. Many of the shrines share identical patrons: the Virgin Mary (St. Mary’s Basilicas) and St. Nicolas – patron saint of merchants and sailors.