The Kamper Kogge, back in Ostend after 5 years of absence, during Ostend at Anchor

History Kogge: de Hanze

The Hanseatic League was originally an international partnership of merchants and later developed into a federation of cities throughout northern Europe.

The Hanseatic League was in its heyday between the 12th and 16th centuries. The powerful trading association created wealth in that period. Traces of this can still be seen in the Hanze towns of Bruges, Damme, Antwerp, Kampen, Hasselt, Zwolle, Hattem, Deventer, Zutphen and Doesburg. The Hanseatic city of Kampen provides the most tangible evidence of this 'golden age'.

De Kogge

The Kogge was the most important link in the flourishing trade in Europe. These ships had a length of 15 to 30 metres and could transport relatively large cargoes over long distances. In the late Middle Ages, hundreds of Kogge sailed the North and Baltic seas. Skippers were called Ommelandvaarders, who made the dangerous journey from the low countries under primitive conditions around Jutland to the Baltic countries. The ship will be moored in the Mercator dock and accessible to the general public free of charge!