Cities such as Riga, Reval (today Tallinn) and Dorpat (today Tartu) were characterised by medieval Hanseatic structures. Guilds and crafts of the largely German bourgeoisie dominated urban life well into the 19th century.
After the decline caused by war and plague at the beginning of the 18th century, a steady influx of German merchants, craftsmen, artists and later academics renewed and increased the population in the Baltic cities. Until the middle of the 19th century, half or even most of them were inhabited by Germans. Estonians, Latvians and other inhabitants were partially assimilated by the German population.
Enthusiasm for art and culture was revived, and science was decisively promoted by the university of Dorpat, the "Nordic Heidelberg".
The liberation of peasants and freedom of trade, together with industrialisation towards the end of the 19th century, led to an enormous increase in the urban population and a proportionate decline in the number of German inhabitants.