Bremen won worldwide fame with the fairy tale „The Town Musicians of Bremen“ by the Grimm Brothers. Those days still prevail in many Renaissance and Baroque buildings at the market place, where numerous patrician's houses still tell tales of past craft art and oversea trade.

Whilst the old town with the Böttcherstrasse and the Schnoor reflects picturesque impressions of old days, it contrasts the city’s harbours where today mainly containers and passenger cars are seen.

In more than 1,000 bars, cafés, bistros and restaurants you can enjoy the kind hospitality of Bremen’s inhabitants as well as a dish called Labskaus whose appearance of minced meat dark red in color due to beetroot juice and various other ingredients might not be everybody's taste – but it indeed is very delicious!
A great place to party is the „Schlachte“ at the shore of the Weser where bars and restaurants line up next to each other. In summer it’s the beer and summer gardens and the long days of northern hemisphere that lure to stay.

Fans of the fairy tale „The Town Musicians of Bremen“ can admire a sculpture of the quartet, a donkey, a dog, a cat and a cock, at Bremen‘s market place at the city hall’s west side. Another landmark of the town is, however this time from the sober world of the science, the Fallturm, a tower where in 146 metre height research and experiments are carried out on the subject of weightlessness.

The Roland Statue

The Statue of Liberty in Bremen exists as a symbol of market rights and freedom since 1404. There are many Roland statues in Germany, but the one in Bremen is one of the oldest and maybe even nicest. Both the statue and the City Hall are listed as UNESCO world heritage.

The statue measures 10.21 metres in height. Roland itself is 5,5 metres high. He carries a shield with the double-headed imperial eagle on which is written „I announce freedom, that Karl and other lords have given to this town. Thank ye the Lord for it, I advice ye." With freedom is meant the imperial freedom of the town. The Karl mentioned is happens to be Charlemagne. „And some lords" stands for the numerous privileges and rights Bremen was granted between 9th and 14th century by kings, princes and prince-espicopal bishops.

With long wavy hair, a leather doublet on top of the chain shirt, low sitting belt, shining sword, tiled knees and legs the youthful knight is strictly dressed according to 14th century fashion. An angel playing the lute reminds of troubadour knights as well as of the legend of Roland that was known far beyond the region’s borders.

This knight was the idealized person of the German Middle Ages. He behaved "knightly" like a man of honour. Roland looks up to the cathedral, the official residence of the archbishop who had claimed the worldly ruling rights over Bremen which the council denied through centuries, actually as long as there were bishops in Bremen: This free imperial town recognized only the emperor and its empire as ruling power.

City Hall

Bremen‘s city hall is listed as UNESCO world heritage since 2004. This Gothic building built between 1405 and 1410 is still seat of the mayor and administration which app. 100 employees. But it‘s the Weser Renaissance facade which is singular and fascinating.

Unique and worth seeing:

·         The upper hall of the City Hall: the prior banquet and conference hall of council and court was called “sanctum of Bremen‘s civil pride”by poet and author Rudolf Alexander Schröder. Since 1545 businessmen, ship owners and captains meet here each year in the middle of February for exchange of ideas at the so-called, „hard worker's meal".

·         The Güldenkammer room is called so because of the gilt leather wallpaper that covered the walls between 1618 and 1620. In 1905 the unused and neglected Güldenkammer was renovated and restyled in Art Noveau by Heinrich Vogeler.

·         The Gobelinzimmer room: actually planned as mayor's room, this room became reception and consultation room instead. A big fine-knotted wall carpet which comes from Ludwig XIX’s minister of finance was name giver of this room.

·         In the chimney hall a high chimney made of French marble, brownish black parquet, dark red damask wallpaper, stucco cover and crystal chandeliers provide cosy atmosphere.

·         The festival hall has high panels of dark oak and a bright coffered cover. The high windows offer a view of the flower market. Today it is venue for, among others, the traditional New Year reception of the free hanseatic town of Bremen.

·         The senate meets in the senate hall which is also worth seeing.

More information: http://www.bremen.de/home

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