Explorations of a northern German city with a long independence streak.
Bremen, the capital of Bremen (the state), is in the northwestern part of Germany. Bremen was one of the cities of the Hanseatic League that dominated trade in the North and Baltic Seas. In the late 12th century, a group of cities banded together for protection from robbery. It developed into a trading empire that stretched from modern Belgium to Estonia.
Cities that were part of the Hanseatic League tended to be governed by local merchants. By the time that Bremen joined the Hanseatic League in 1358 (they had joined before and had been kicked out), it was a free city within the Holy Roman Empire. Except for Napoleon and Hitler reasons, Bremen has been independent since. The state of Bremen was formed after WWII to continue this independence. It is the smallest state in Germany and it only consists of the city of Bremen, some suburbs, and its modern port (1827) on the North Sea at Bremerhaven.
Jana Irving The landscape around Bremen is very similar to the Netherlands. Dutch settlers came and drained the land for farming, bringing their windmills with them. This is one is fairly close to the train station.
Jana Irving Marktplatz. A short walk from the windmill finds one right at the center of historic center. The center is a series of connected plazas.
Jana Irving It’s great.
Jana Irving The Schütting was originally a guild house used by the city’s merchants and tradesmen, built in the 16th century. It’s currently the Chamber of Commerce.
Jana Irving Now for the city’s main attraction, the Rauthaus (city hall).
Jana Irving The city hall and its Statue of Roland are UNESCO sites. Statues of Roland were symbols of freedom in the Holy Roman Empire. Legend goes that the city of Bremen cannot fall if Roland still stands.
Jana Irving Construction began in the 15th century, but today’s facade is from 16th century renovations in a Renaissance style.
Jana Irving It’s quite something.
Jana Irving Looks a little more Gothic on the sides.
Jana Irving The back of the city hall dates from the 17th century and done in the Baroque style. The entire back of the city hall looked similar to this but part of it was demolished in the 19th century to build the New City Hall.
Jana Irving You can see the New City Hall behind the Old City Hall at this angle.
Jana Irving Now for the interior. I booked a tour to get inside. It started in the New City Hall (which is fancy) but I’m skipping ahead here for the main attraction, the Upper Hall.
Jana Irving Lots going on in here.
Jana Irving The wood carvings in this room are amazing.
Jana Irving The most notable feature in the room is this and I can’t find anything on it.
Jana Irving But it’s intense.
Jana Irving The whole thing is insane.
Jana Irving The door leads to this, the Golden Chamber, which was done in 1905.
Jana Irving Moving on to the Cathedral.
Jana Irving I quite like the different colors of stones/paint that were used.
Jana Irving It isn’t a Catholic church anymore, so you won’t see any fancy altars but this is pretty neat.
Jana Irving The oldest part of the church, the crypt, is from the 11th century. The baptismal font is pretty cool.
Jana Irving Now for something more modern, the Böttcherstraße.
Jana Irving It’s a 100 meter long street of very unique buildings building in the 1920s and 1930s.
Jana Irving Some of the buildings take inspiration from traditional German buildings.
Jana Irving The entrance to the Böttcherstraße from the river.
Jana Irving The Gothic St. Martini Kirche (St. Martin’s Church).
Jana Irving Southeast of the City Hall and cathedral is the the Schnoor, a neighborhood that has preserved its Medieval character.
Jana Irving Buildings date from the 15th century to the 18th centuries, with a few modern ones thrown in.
Jana Irving Today, it is known for its shops and eateries.
Jana Irving So very cute.
Jana Irving So much cute.
Jana Irving A building from 1630.
Jana Irving Back out to the river. On the left you can see St. Martin’s and the Böttcherstraße. Not in this photo but there is a new housing development built on a former industrial area on the right.
Jana Irving It’s modern, but it does fit in.
Jana Irving Modern, but it doesn’t stand out. Love it.
Jana Irving On the way back to the train station, I stopped back at the Unser Lieben Frauen Kirche (Church of Our Lady). This photo is from the morning.
Jana Irving It’s a mix of Gothic and modern.
Jana Irving I like the colorful stained glass.
Bremen is a great place to explore, a great day trip from larger cities nearby. Make sure you get a tour of the City Hall. It’s worth it.
Check out my next update where I explore another Hanseatic city, Lübeck!
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Start at the beginning of this European adventure!
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