THE CITY OF BREMEN

  Bremen, home to the world famous Town Musicians, puts itself on the map as the pulsating, multifaceted heart of North West Germany. A hive of heritage, science, high technology and the space industry keeps us up with breathtaking innovations. From rejuvenated Schlachte Promenade to world beating attractions like the Universum Science Center Bremen, exploring the 1,200 year old Hanseatic city has never been easier.

Bremen has a long historical association with aviation, a home for both Junkers and Focke-Wulf before the war and the European Space Agency in more modern times. DaimlerChrysler Aerospace, ESA and of course Airbus are very established locally.

Within the airport terminal complex is a small but fascinating Aviation Museum which houses the Junkers W33 “Bremen” which became the first aircraft to fly east to west across the Atlantic in 1933. The flight, from Baldonnel in Ireland, between Labrador and Newfoundland, took an astonishing 36 hours. The aircraft was then shuttled by boat from Canada back to Germany, to New York, then Washington before being bought by Henry Ford for his Dearborn museum. In the late nineties it was donated to the city of Bremen and restored at the Lufthansa Flight Training Centre. Also to be seen is the Focke-Wulf Stieglitz, designed by Kurt Tank as a trainer and considered as the first practical stunt aircraft. On display also is another locally built aerospace first, the ESA space laboratory, which spent 231 days circling the globe.

Bremen with its population of just over half a million, is a fascinating city. It is the epitome of cleanliness, a credit to both the city executives and the people themselves. Bremen dates back 1200 years and in the Middle Ages was a leading member of the Hanseatic League.

With the gradual clogging up of the River Weser, in 1827 the citizens founded one of the world’s first new cities of the modern era, Bremerhaven, 40 miles to the north on the North Sea. Today that too is a thriving prosperous town of 127000 inhabitants.

Bremen successfully combines the old with the very modern, the city centre itself more or less pedestrianized , dominated by the market square and the narrow alleys that lead off, ancient buildings mainly originating from the Middle Ages somehow gracefully combining with 20th century designs.

The Market Square centres round the flagstoned Hanseatic Cross and is dominated by the 600 year old Rathaus or town hall. Built between 1405 and 1410, the Rathaus is often seen as Germany’s finest municipal building. It received its façade in a distinct Weser Renaissance style in the 17th century. A number of splendid historic rooms are the crowning glory of the interior. Dubbed the ‘appetizing foundation’ of the Rathaus, the Ratskeller has been firmly established underneath the building for around 600 years. With its enormous vaults, large pillars, ornate wine vats, quaint dining cubicles and impressive murals, the public cellars list over 650 different German wines, creating a mellow atmosphere that shouldn’t be missed.  

  In front of the Rathaus stands the famous Roland Statue. Bremen's Knight Roland is the best-known statue of 27 to be found worldwide. A symbol of civic rights and privileges, the present sandstone figure dates from 1404, replacing a wooden piece, destroyed by fire in 1366, in the fight for the city's independence from the archbishop. It has since survived all troubles and strife that befell the city.

At the corner of the Ratskeller entrance, around the western side of the Rathaus, stands the city's most popular representation of the Town Musicians, a bronze statue carved in 1951 by local sculptor Gerhard Marcks. The group has since been received to international acclaim.

Between the Market Square and the River Weser is the Böttcherstrasse at one time inhabited by coopers and barrel makers, the narrow walkway, Bremen’s ‘secret high street’ offers a contrasting yet interesting mixture of traditional red brick architecture and more recent expressionist elements. In addition to a number of other tiny stores, craft shops and the Bremen Casino, the Paula Modersohn-Becker and Roselius Museums are worthwhile visiting.

But what is not to be missed is the Schnoor quarter. Rather like a thread of beads, little gabled houses from the 15th and 16th centuries huddle together along narrow, crooked lanes in Bremen's oldest living quarter. Artisans, goldsmiths and gallery owners now occupy many houses in rambling lanes and tiny backyards, vying for space with small cafes and restaurants that cater for most tastes. Also worth seeing is the St Jacobus Warehouse: the historic warehouse has been converted into a living monument of working life in the Hanseatic city, displaying old working class graffiti. The building is also home to ZeitRaum Packhaus, an interactive exhibition that takes visitors on an exciting journey through Bremen's merchant past
Other buildings house the Theatre in Schnoor, Madame Lothar's variety theatre, a wedding house that's arguably the world's smallest hotel, a toy museum and the Institute for Low German Language.		  

 
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