Documents that have survived to us from the Middle Ages make almost no references to the glass trade. The information starts to increase only as late as the 16th century. New archaeological finds show, however, that considerable amounts of glass have been imported to Northern Europe already in the Middle Ages. Glass travelled to the northern regions especially via L├╝beck and also from the eastern parts of Germany through the Teutonic Order. In the 16th century, Waldglas was brought mainly from L├╝beck, while facon de Venise glass came straight from where it was produced, the Netherlands. Glass was mostly shipped, because transport by land was slow and expensive. When transported, the articles were packed in barrels and boxes filled, for instance, with straw, and the boxes could also contain other goods at the same time.
