The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, where I live, is known as the most English of German cities. There’s an English theatre where you can see Noël Coward plays. English slogans are ubiquitous (“business lunch”, “the Fitness Lady Studio”, “You must see Evita”). And there’s a certain reticence about the Hamburgers which has more in common with Albion than with their compatriots in, say, Bavaria or the Rhineland. There have been trading links with England for centuries, so it is not surprising that masonic links go back a long way as well.
   When I first moved to Hamburg just over three years ago, it was by great good luck that my first masonic encounter was with the Roland Lodge, founded in 1891 - good luck because Roland turned out to be one of the liveliest, most forward-looking and most stimulating lodges I have ever attended. But first a bit of history.
   It was under English influence that the very first recorded foundation of a lodge on German soil took place in Hamburg in 1737. This lodge, which later became a part of the English Provincial Grand Lodge for Hamburg and Lower Saxony, was the bridgehead from which Freemasonry spread out all over the German-speaking world.
   Since 1945 the main affiliations have been linked by an umbrella body called the United Grand Lodges of Germany, which has the blessing of the United Grand Lodge of England. The 40 recognised St. John’s lodges operating in Hamburg today belong to four different Grand Lodges: The Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Germany, similar in character to English Masonry; The Freemasonic Order following the Swedish system; The Three Globes, an old-established Prussian grand lodge; The Grand Lodge of British Freemasons in Germany, represented by the Anglo-Hanseatic lodge.
   Now back to the Roland Lodge, which I have attended a number of times. Coming from an English lodge (albeit a German-speaking one, the Pilgrim Lodge), I found masonic life here both familiar and distinctly unfamiliar. One difference that struck me immediately was the much greater frequency of meetings. Roland meets once a week, and at most meetings a lecture is given - the term they use, following architectural symbology, is a Zeichnung (a drawing or sketch). The topics are not invariably masonic but include wider social and philosophical issues. After the meeting, a discussion takes place about the lecture, and the comments are sometimes frank to the point of toughness. The result is high standard of debate. Two of the lectures stand out in my memory. The first was by Bro. Alfried Lehner, a former Lieutenant-Colonel in the German army : a writer, poet, comparative religionist and much else, who delivered a richly inspiring talk on the solar symbolism in Freemasonry. The second talk was by Bro. Pit von Frihling, an artist with an immensely fine-grained style of painting, who spoke about “Creative Brotherhood”. One passage I find particularly worth quoting:
   “In our Freemasonry we need not only virtuosity - that is to say, outward mastery of masonic practices — but above all we need for the future more creative vision. And this involves using the creative element that is available to every one of us, if only we can understand how to perceive in the right way and act upon that perception.” Over a glass of the excellent local beer in the lodge building, my friend Bro. Dieter Stefan told me about the spirit of Roland and what makes it so special.
   “It’s no good just becoming fixated on the ritual,” he said. “You have to look to the future, even if you meet resistance. When we first started the discussion sessions, some of the older members were opposed. But the sessions have proved a great success, and now most of the brethren are won over. Our attendance rate is high, and our membership is growing, whereas some other lodges are declining.”
   Another unusual practice of Roland is to hold information-meetings for non-masons, which are advertised in a local newspaper. Those who go on to apply for admission have to undergo a more rigorous procedure than in Britain. The candidate must first spend about six months as an applicant. At the end of that time his application is published in the local masonic journal, the Hanseatisches Logenblatt. Then a further six weeks is allowed for possible objections. Once initiated, the member spends at least a year as an apprentice, then another year or more as a fellow craft before he is finally raised to master mason.
   They take their masonry seriously here - but not too solemnly. I have encountered plenty of light-hearted conviviality as well as moving ritual. All in all, it’s exciting to be in a place where masonic life is so vital and where the strains of The Magic Flute are so vibrant.

Dr. Christopher McIntosh is a writer and historian, specializing in the history of the western inner traditions. He lives in Hamburg where he works for a major international educational research organization.