Trade route

As a trade route is known since ancient times certain Old Quarters. Follow trade routes on land, which are used to transport assets (mainly trade goods). The focus is on trade and says rather less about the quality and state of development of the road. The decisive factors are probably the awareness level, the frequency of use and the naming.

In general, commercial streets were unpaved roadways, only one built in the Roman Empire, the trade routes with plaster partly to roads ( Via strata ) that are comparable to today's roads. The lines usually followed the watersheds, either on the crest or parallel to the slope. Was a track extended, they drove next to the track, or misplaced by a few to hundreds of meters sideways, so that old road viewed from above, often look like meandering rivers. The traffic was mostly with pack animals or with wooden cars that were covered with draft animals (usually oxen as horses were too valuable ). As a commercial street and the mule tracks that were established in impassable mountain ranges apply. Water obstacles were often overcome in Fords. In climatically suitable areas ice-covered rivers and lakes are used as a trade route.

Since the medieval trade routes were all unpaved ( nature trails ), there was often wheel and axle breaks. According to the then customary law all goods that fell to the ground, the property of the respective landlords were. Wheel and axle fractures were thus a good source of income. The carters had therefore always doing spare wheels and axles. At the maintenance or even expansion of ways no one had interest. Some landlords will have even prepared the paths accordingly so that the trade cars overturned.

At crossing points, bridges, fords or in shelters are often to seek the roots of city foundations. Similarly, facilities for the transporters played a significant role in the network of trade routes. These include relaxation, caravanserais ( in the East ), guest houses, road houses and later postal stations. They provided safe accommodation, the supply of food and drinks, short recovery from the work and opportunities to replace and train mounts and nourish.

World's longest and perhaps most famous trade route is probably the Silk Road. In Europe emerged from the trade routes which later paved roads. In Germany almost all single-digit numbers of the highways follow the rough course important ancient trade routes, such as the Federal Highway 1 on a partial section of the Westphalian Hellweg and the main road 2 Via Imperii.

List

Important international trade routes are, or were:

• The Ox Trail (also called Military Road ) on the Cimbrian peninsula between Germany ( Hamburg and the Elbe) and Denmark ( Viborg ) was common during the Bronze Age.
• The Incense Route connected Egypt with Arabia and India and established themselves around 1800 BC, the main commodity was incense
• The Silk Road was a transcontinental trade route, linking East Asia with the Mediterranean and was built around the 5th century BC
• The Amber Road was the oldest trade route since prehistoric times and was a route for the amber trade from the Ost-/Nordsee to the Alpine countries
• Salt roads were different routes for the salt trade through Central Europe
• The Trans - Kalahari Highway through the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa and has existed since the 19th century
• The Tea Road is a trade route for tea from China in today's Russia.
• The Teerouten for the trading of various teas from China and adjacent areas, in particular the Tea-Horse Road ( Chinese tea for Tibetan horses).