Fan Guide Bremen (english version)

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Welcome to Bremen

Bremen – a wonderful place to live. A modern city with a great maritime past.

Its roots are what have made the city the international and cosmopolitan centre that it is today. Traditions of liberalism and tolerance developed over centuries define the way the people engage with one another. Bremen combines the Hanseatic cosmopolitan outlook and the compact nature of a city-state with a young, forward-looking frame of mind to create an unmistakable charm that has drawn people to Bremen throughout the centuries.

Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A port city along the river Weser.

Bremen is well worth a visit!

Politics

The Stadtbürgerschaft (municipal assembly) is made up of 68 of the 83 legislators of the state legislature, the Bremische Bürgerschaft, who reside in the city of Bremen. The legislature is elected by the citizens of Bremen every four years.

Gallery

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  Schnoor quarter

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  Universum Sience Center

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  Windmill on the Wall

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  Schlachte, the medieval harbour

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  The Ratskeller - traditional tavern

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  Technology Park Bremen

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  Überseestadt Bremen

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  Boettcherstreet

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  Town Hall - St. Peter's Cathedral

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  The Roland

Main sights

• Many of the sights in Bremen are found in the Old Town, (Altstadt). The oldest part of the Old Town is the southeast half, starting with the Marketplace and ending at the Schnoor quarter.

• The Market square is dominated by the opulent façade of the Town Hall regarded as one of the most beautiful in Europe. Today, it hosts a restaurant in original decor with gigantic wine barrels, the Ratskeller, and the wine lists boasts more than 600 — exclusively German — wines. It is also home of the twelve oldest wines in the world, stored in their original barrels in the Apostel chamber.

• Two statues stand to the west side of the Town Hall: one is the statue (1404) of the city's protector, Roland, with his view against the Cathedral and bearing Durendart, the "sword of justice" and a shield decorated with an imperial eagle. The other near the entrance to the Ratskeller is a bronze sculpture (1953) "The Town Musicians" (Bremer Stadtmusikanten) which portrays the donkey, dog, cat and rooster of the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale.

• Other interesting buildings in the vicinity of the Marktplatz are the Schütting, a 16th-century Flemish-inspired guild hall, and the Stadtwaage, the former weigh house (built in 1588), with an ornate Renaissance façade.

• The impressive Cathedral St. Petri (13th century), to the east of the Marketplace, with sculptures of Moses and David, Peter and Paul, Charlemagne and Christopher Maki.

• Lead cellar Mummies, coffins and other frightful things are on show at the Bremen lead cellar. No one has ever been able to explain exactly why it is that bodies entombed in the crypt of the cathedral are mummified. Itinerant craftsmen who were expected to be shipped home later were the first to be buried here. In the 17th and 18th century they were joined by the bodies of the nobility who have found their last resting place in the lead cellar.

• Boettchersteet (Böttcherstraße) - only about 330 ft long - it is famous for its unusual architecture and ranks among the city's main cultural landmarks and visitor attractions.

• Tucked away between the Cathedral and the river is The Schnoor - an old city quarter consisting of a network of medieval winding alleys and narrow streets. Once populated by river fishermen, artisans and traders, it is now home to exclusive shops, nostalgic pubs, restaurants and cosy cafés. The houses that have survived were built around 1500.

• Windmill on the Wall - Five traditional windmills have survived in Bremen. One windmill - the Windmill on the Wall - has been preserved within the inner city area. Still in use until 1950, it is now the landmark of the Wallanlagen, the old Bremen city fortifications that were torn down in 1802 and turned into a park.

• Universum Science Center, a modern science museum

The Universum has a very unusual and playful approach to presenting scientific phenomena. At more than 250 interactive stations on four levels, covering a total exhibition space of 4,000 m², visitors are invited to touch, test and take part. The exhibitions "Mankind", "Cosmos" and "Earth" explain how a tornado starts, why soap bubbles shimmer in such a colourful way and why every human being is unique.
More information here

Curiosities

Eating kale and pinkel or spitting on a stone? Discover Bremen's curiosities.

• Spitting stone

You'll have to look quite carefully to spot this, as it is fairly inconspicuous - just a paving stone with an inlaid cross. The stone on the western side of the cathedral marks the spot where the poisoner Gesche Gottfried lost her life in Bremen's last public execution in 1831. "Germany's most successful poisoner" had been convicted of 15 actual and 15 attempted murders. Even today, the people of Bremen still convey their disgust with a well-aimed shot at the spitting stone.

• Sweeping the cathedral steps

A spectacle which often puzzles visitors is the sight of a young man in a top hat sweeping the steps of the cathedral while the crowd around him continue to cover it in bottle tops. This continues until a young girl (a virgin) delivers the sweeper with a kiss. This is a Bremen tradition for any bachelor who reaches his 30th birthday without finding a bride.

• Kale and pinkel
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  Kale and Pinkel

is a traditional North German type of sausage made from a particular section of pig's intestine stuffed with oatmeal. The dish is traditionally eaten on an excursion with friends or work colleagues, a quintessential Bremen custom known as a "kale and pinkel trip".

Events

• Freimarkt

The term fun fair doesn't do it justice, even if Bremen's main public festival may look like one at first glance. Locals call the Freimarkt in October their "fifth season" and celebrate it just as carnival. The Freimarkt the largest traditional festival in northern Germany, as well as the oldest, having been celebrated since 1035.

• Samba in Bremen

More than 19 years ago, a couple of enthusiats gatherd for the first Samba group in Bremen. Since then a lot of Samba groups have arisen. The highlight of the year is the annual Bremer Karneval, first performed in 1985, where a continuously growing number of samba, percussion and brass bands and masked groups from Bremen, Germany and the neighbouring countries meet to drive out the winter.

• Six Day cycle race

Bremen is also host for the Six Day race a bicycle race at the AWD-Dome.

Hotels in Bremen

click here

Transport

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Airport Bremen

Bremen has an international Airport situated in the south of the city. The major business and leisure airport for Bremen and the whole of north-west Germany offers an outstanding range of international connections.

Ground transportation

The Tram number 6 departs every 5 to 10 minutes (on Sundays up to 30 min) to Bremen City Center. The ride takes 11 minutes and costs €2.20. You can't pay your ticekt with your Visa-card. In the Tram is a blue box where you can buy your ticket.

Or you can take a Taxi. The taxi drivers accept Visa- and MasterCards.