“Deutscher Frühling“ in Estonia

The Viking helmet had no horns! This statement will be remembered by the deputy German ambassador in Estonia, Martin Langer, as he said. The same applies to the fact that the Vikings still provide an important point of referencefor the beginning of maritime history in the North and Baltic Seas as well as Nordic history in general. Cordelia Heß (Greifswald) introduced the role of the Vikings in constructing the Baltic Sea region, using also the example of the Netflix series Norsemen. She also asked what the Vikings could gain from their trips into the Baltic. Hielke van Nieuwenhuize (Greifswald) was able to answer that it was mainly raw materials such as wood and tar, but also furs and grain, which were transported by Hanseatic ships to trading centers in the west, especially England and the Netherlands. Anti Selart (Tartu) added the cultural dimension to trade. Christianization of the Baltic Sea region and numerous cultural relations between the great and small powers characterize the middle and early modern ages. Kerttu Palginõmm (Tartu) illustrated the special form of cultural exchange through luxury products and art, for instance between Estonia and the Netherlands, Sweden or Italy. Western influence was balanced in the 18th and 19th centuries by the rise of Russia to a dominating power in the Baltic Sea region. Karsten Brüggemann (Tallinn) explained the manifold Russian influences on the eastern Baltic rim. Furthermore, this also led to the question of how the Baltic provinces formed small nation states in the 20th century after centuries of foreign rule. At the same time, the history of the Baltic Sea region in the 20th century is characterized by an almost impenetrable division into East and West. Only after the fall of the Iron Curtain allowed a shift in spatial perspectives and the perception of the entire region again. To this day, the different degrees of economic development and the development of different welfare levels within the region dominate regional development discourses. Michael North (Greifswald) recalled some of his several visits to Tallinn in the 1970s and prepared the interactive part of this panel discussion.  The panel was part of the events in the “Deutscher Frühling in Estland” on 15 April 2019. Alexander Drost (Greifswald) presented the panel. We are very grateful for the support by the International Office of the University of Greifswald, and the organization by the Goethe-Institut and especially Mr. Johannes Thimm.