Underwater preparations

The salvage of the Hanseschiff in the Trave has begun: Preparatory work to salvage the wreck has been underway since May 31st, 2023. Today, on June the 5th, some 400 years after the ship sank, the first part to be recovered from a depth of around 11 meters was a wooden barrel.

"It is an extremely significant find for the Hanseatic city of Lübeck and at the same time an identification with its own history. The great relevance of the salvage led the city council to approve it with a large majority. Piece by piece, further important puzzle pieces from the Hanseatic era are now coming to light, which, innovatively processed, will also provide future generations with new access to history," says Lübeck's mayor Jan Lindenau.

"A loaded ship from the late Hanseatic period that is so well preserved does not exist in this form in the southern Baltic Sea until now and presents special challenges to all involved in dealing with this representative cultural monument. It is a great sign that all local and federal authorities are enthusiastically pulling together to make this project a success," says Senator Monika Frank.

"Salvaging this unique find, scientifically documenting and examining it, and then presenting the results to the public is a very special project that not only brings to light previously unknown living and economic conditions from the end of the Hanseatic era, but is also representative of the cosmopolitan and international connections as well as the reflection on your historical roots for which Lübeck is known and visited today," adds Dr. Dirk Rieger, Head of the Department of Archaeology and Monument Preservation

By September 2023, the salvage and documentation of the entire shipwreck, including cargo, is to be completed by the company Archcom, closely accompanied by the archaeologists of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck. Until then, a multitude of work steps have to be completed, because the salvage of the wreck does not only involve the lifting of large historical ship timbers, but also their exact documentation according to the latest scientific standards. These include a holistic 3D documentation by means of scanning.