Sail on Friday

The „old ladies“ appear as a pair
They are the stars of the 20th Hanse Sail Rostock because they are the oldest and largest, still active windjammers of the world: the Russian SEDOV with its home port Murmansk and the four-masted-ship KRUZENSHTERN from Kaliningrad. The SEDOV with a length of 177.5 m was built in the Kieler Friedrich-Krupp-Germaniawerft as MAGDALENE VINNEN II in 1921. It will celebrate its 90th birthday next year. The KRUZENSHTERN is only 5 years younger. It was also built in Germany on the Joh.-C-Tecklenborg-Werft at the Geeste in Bremerhaven as PADUA. Today, the almost 115 m long ship is the last, still active representative of the famous P-liners, which were popular because of their fast transatlantic passages.

At home on a sail ship
For the guests of the Hanse Sail it is just a trip – for Anna Hoffmann from Delmenhorst near Bremen, sailing on the old JAN HUYGEN is her daily routine and her bread and butter. The 26-year old has studied history of art and history of architecture in Dutch Groningen. “To have things in hand”, as she says. But, is she ever going to use it? Anna grins, “As long as we have fun, we will live on the ship all year long.” “We” – that is Anna, her Dutch boyfriend Herman van Linschoten and the dog Bo. They bought the JAN HUYGEN, a cargo ship from 1909 that was going to be scrapped, about four years ago. “A Dutchman spotted and saved the ship in a Danish port”, says Anna. Of the Dutch Kufftjalk-type, there are only 6 exemplars left in the world. Anna has been predominantly living on the sea for more than seven years now. “Right after school I went on board of a Dutch ship, learned how to sail, and met Herman.” By now, Anna is an able-bodied seaman and the JAN HUYGEN is their joint business. During the summer, it is sailing trips that make the money – also during the Hanse Sail. “During the winter, you have to be creative.”, says Anna. She and Herman work in a small shipyard in their Dutch home port Workum. Their ship functions as a hotel in the port. Once it was an attraction on a Christmas-market. The JAN HUYGEN is located at Rostock’s port, berth 81, bitt 34-36.

Lietuvos Respublika – a 12,000 years persisting history
The first signs of human settlements of present-day Lithuania go back 1200 years. Between the 9th and the 13th century it was a part of the Kievan Rus. Beforehand, the tribes were living in a strict caste-structure, practised agriculture and traded goods. Lithania was first mentioned in the “Quedlinburger Annalen” in 1009. Archbishop and friar Bruno Bonifacius of Quedlinburg wrote about “Litua” how he wanted to convert the Gentiles to Christianity. But he was not successful. Together with 18 of his companions he was beheaded by the Gentiles. In the 13th century, Grand Duke Mindaugas united the Lithuanian princedoms, became a Christian in 1251 and got crowned king. The inforcement of Christianity  in 1387, the founding of the city and diocese Vil-nius, as well as the founding of the university were milestones of Lithuania’s way to become a big power that stretched to the Black Sea and ruled areas, which are homes for Poles, Hungarians, and Czechs today. The “Tannenbergschlacht”, where they fought with Poles against the German order of knights in 1410, and the “Union of Lublin” stabilised the power of the kingdom of Lithuania and Poland.