Trade in the Middle Ages
Until the 13th century trade took place mainly on a regional level and if a trade route went by sea, the skipper kept the coastline in view. The reason for this limitation was simple: a seaworthy trade vessel didn’t exist.

In the 13th century a new type of ship was developed. A ship with a straight stem and made out of oak wood strakes: the kogge. In the course of time these ships became higher and taller and more cargo could be carried. Also the seaworthiness of the ships was improved and consequently sailing trade to the Baltic arose. Skippers could sail around Jutland with these koggen, so that’s why they were called Ommelandvaarders. (“Ommeland” is derived from “om het land”, meaning “around the land” and “vaarders” means “sailors”, so Ommelandvaarders are sailors who sail around the land.)
But it wasn’t a sole development. Merchants - and afterwards also the councils of towns in the Baltic and along the coasts of present-day Holland, Belgium and Great Britain - made trade agreements and founded the Hanseatic Leagues.
Besides trade guarantees, these leagues also offered protection from piracy at e.g. the Sont. If a town was a member of the Hansa, a free passage was guaranteed.
During the period of trade with the koggen, most of the Hanseatic towns (like Kampen, Zwolle, Deventer, Zutphen, Hasselt, Hattem, Elburg, Harderwijk and many more) have grown substantially due to the profits from the ommelandvaart. In the 15th century the Hanseatic Leagues came to an end.

Since 1984 Zwolle has put new life into the Hansa. Lübeck hosts an international organization, which intensifies contacts between the towns, and Bureau Hanzesteden is doing a good job in consolidating the mutual bonds between the Dutch towns.

The Kamper Hanze Kogge
In 1994 Kampen took the initiative to reconstruct NISA’s scale model of the found kogge. This makes the Kamper Hanze Kogge, also called “the Pride of Kampen”, the only Dutch reconstruction of a 14th-century ship.
She was built in cooperation with NISA between 1994 and 1998 on the basis of the excavations in 1981. A special feature is that it is not a replica, but a reconstruction. No two ships were alike in the Middle Ages, because ships were built depending on the size of the available wood. The sizes of the Kamper Kogge are based on the measurements of the shipwreck.

Ommelandvaart 2004
Since 1998 the Kamper Hanze Kogge has sailed the inland waterways in the Netherlands. In 2002 three kogge lovers put their heads together and received permission from the foundation board to make a unique sea voyage with the Kogge: an ommelandvaart.
She will sail around the Danish peninsula (Jutland) and will continue via Sweden and Germany. It is remarkable that the Kamper Hanze Kogge has no engine, so the voyage must be completed with the force of wind only.
The voyage is divided into three parts:

1. Scientific part: the Kogge has already proved her sailing qualities on the Dutch inland waterways. Stability experiments, carried out earlier this year, showed that the ship is built to ride out heavy storms. But how will it be in reality at open sea? To answer this question, a continuous series of measurements will be taken throughout the first part of the voyage. Speed, position of the sail, drift etc will be measured and recorded around the clock
2. Cultural historical part: the councils of the towns, which the Kogge will visit during the Ommelandvaart, have reacted enthusiastically at the arrival of the ship. Particularly those towns with a Hanseatic past are interested to welcome her. They offer to cooperate and to organize activities while calling at their ports. They will even go so far as to reschedule dates of exhibitions and to consider if it is possible to organize special events on the occasion of the arrival of the Kogge.
3. Homeward voyage: this part begins by entering the Kiel Canal. The main goal in this part is safely returning the Kogge and her crew.

Preparations
70 volunteers are preparing the voyage. And still more volunteers are enrolling themselves. All volunteers who have dedicated themselves to the Ommelandvaart have earned themselves a place aboard the Kogge in the summer of 2004.

• Below deck: of course the ship must be adapted to present-day nautical regulations. That’s why the ship will be equipped with electrical facilities this winter. Also water tanks, sleeping-accommodation and a good cooker will be installed below deck. After the Ommelandvaart 2004 the ship can be restored to her original condition.
• Rigging: the ship and her rigging will be prepared for the tough conditions she will have to face during the three-month sea voyage. The standing rigging will be replaced and the mast has been ashore since September in order to carry out additional maintenance.
• Organization: before the Kogge will leave the Dutch waterways an enormous amount of work will have to be done. Besides the volunteers, who are engaged in the working groups Sponsoring, Promotion and Maintenance, the organization cooperates with several authorities, organizations and companies, like the province of Overijssel, the province of Gelderland, the embassies of Denmark, Sweden and Germany, Shipping Yard Peters, the Kampen Tourist Office, the Municipality of Kampen, Bureau Hanzesteden, the Chamber of Commerce and the Foundation Sail Kampen. They are all closely involved in the preparations and they support the organization Ommelandvaart 2004 as much as possible.