The Hanseatic Museum lies in the historic centre of Bergen, by the harbourside. It is one of the best preserved buildings in the Bryggen area, which once housed the wealthy merchants of the Hanseatic League. The league was a cartel that dominated North European trade for around four hundred years. The interior of the museum is lavishly furnished in the style of the eighteenth century, and gives the visitor an insight into the domestic life of a trader during this era.