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The visitor to Bremen is soon aware that this is a city
which can look back on a thousand years of history,
still alive and being cherished. The whole place is
visibly steeped in tradition, and has an atmosphere
redolent almost of a Grimm fairy tale.
Bremen, 37 miles from the mouth of the River Weser and
Germany’s oldest maritime city, has held markets since
965, joined the Hanseatic League in 1358 and began to
trade with America in 1783. Cotton and coffee gave its
citizens a rich living.
Nowhere is its history more evident than in the market
square in the heart of the old town, where the
architectural styles of five different eras are visible.
Outstanding is the Altes Rathaus (old town hall), built
between 1404 and 1410 and a fine example of North German
architecture with a magnificent Renaissance façade.
Right next to the town hall is one of Bremen’s most
famous landmarks, statue of the Street Musicians of
Bremen (an ass, a dog, a cat and a cock) from the
Brothers Grimm fairy tale. But the landmark that best
symbolises the city’s freedom and independence of spirit
is the 30ft statue of the knight Roland that has been
calmly smiling down on the marketplace since 1404.
Other notable buildings that reflect Bremen’s history
are the Schütting, former merchants’ guildhall of the
16th century, and the massive cathedral whose spires
soar upwards to a height of 320 feet. The old and narrow
Böttcherstrasse, a street museum with many restored
mediaeval buildings, now houses high-quality artists’
and craftsmen’s shops.
Go a few steps further and you will find yourself in one
of the most characterful quarters of Bremen, the
Schnoorviertel, with its picturesque burghers’ houses,
some of which date back to the 15th century,
cosy taverns and small shops.
And after a tour of the city sights and a trip round the
old harbour (from where it is said that the Saxons set
off in 449 for England) a visit to the Ratskeller,
offering more than 600 varieties of wine, is definitely
in order . . . |
