From 1958 onwards, the Ostseewoche was organised as an East German counterpart to West Germany’s Kieler Woche – a week of festivities with sporting and cultural activities. It was held in the north of the country and had a programme of numerous cultural and political events with international guests. Part of the aim of the week was to achieve diplomatic recognition for the GDR throughout the entire Baltic Sea region. Up to 1975 it was also the only event where the original Hiddensee Hoard was annually put on display. As a product of the Viking Age that was originally crafted in southern Scandinavia and discovered within the borders of what had since become the East German state, it fitted in well with the political aim of the event, namely to reinforce regional networks.