Fan Guide Bremen (english version)

Welcome to Bremen

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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.

Don't let the cliché of the bad weather scare you, Bremen can be very sunny and very nice. Some people may seem a bit reserved, but actually that's only because northern germarns are not so shallow. You know, still waters run deep and all. If it's about Werder though, every "Bremer" will perk up!

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 barhour

Main sights

Vibrant history Bremen's history stretches back more than 1200 years, and is still tangible today. You can feel it in the baroque and Renaissance ambience of the market square, for example, with the "Town Hall" and see it in the patrician town houses and "The Schuetting", Bremen's historical guildhall. These are impressive symbols of the Hanseatic and Republican mentality. A tradition of which the people of Bremen are justly proud.

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", "The Roland Statue", "The Cathedral St. Petri", "The Town Musicians", "The Ratskeller" (a traditional tavern), "The Lead-Cellar" (with an original Mummy) "The Boetterstreet" and ending at "The Schnoor" quarter.

Another highlights in Bremen are: "The Windmill on the Wall" and The Universum Science Center

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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

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".

Eventful city

Bremen is a celebrating city

• 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.

• Christmas Market

It’s no wonder that the Christmas Market continues to be acclaimed as one of the most enchanting in the country. In addition, the maritime spectacular ‘Schlachte Zauber’ brings a golden glow to the riverside in December. Traditional handicrafts and medieval-style taverns, blessed all the way with wood fires and torchlights, are a magnet for the entire waterfront with snow-covered chalet-style stalls offering nourishing Bavarian and Austrian delicacies, sizzling fish specialities and mulled cocktail drinks.

• Samba in Bremen

Amid a pastiche of samba rhythms and colourful masquerades, Germany’s biggest samba festival creates one of the great free shows on earth in February. 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

For 40 years, the prestigious Bremen 6 Days, which regularly pull in over 125.000 people, have transformed the AWD Dome into a cauldron of indoor cycling excitement in January.

1/4 - The Quarter

Party, fun and more

"Viertel" ("quarter") the alternative part of the city between the historical old town and the Weserstadion. Very good for having a beer before the game or afterwards, famous for the international cuisine and always a nice place to go.

For the younger/more mainstream audience and the night there is the "Rembertimeile" or "On the Hoefen" close to the mainstation, where there are a bunch of discos and clubs. Can be very nice if you're drunk enough If you are more of a stylish person go to the Schlachte, which is the river bank at the old town. There are lots of cocktailbars and some nice restaurants, and the view and atmosphere at the river are very nice, especially on warm summer nights.

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  Auf den Höfen
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  Party-Time
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  ... and fun

Shopping

Shopping in style, and for style, is a Bremen experience – and of course shops and stores in the city centre sit alongside magnificent historical buildings, museums and restaurants, so shopping and sightseeing are easily combined.

Food

You can have very good international cuisine in the Viertel. Döner in general is quite good and cheap. Don't buy it too close to the city center though, especially at the main station it's not so good in my opinion. Traditional Bremen "Spezialitäten" are available in the historical old town, of course, since all the tourists go there. If you are scared of strange looking food, go for some fish. The northern sea is close, so it's gonna be fresh and delicate! Do you like pancakes? An authentic replica of a frigate (Schlachte, Weser), serving pancakes and other dishes. This charming vessel offers a pirate adventure for all ages.

Relax

The beautiful "Osterdeich" at the riverside! Lay on the grass in the summer, or on the beach by "Cafe Sand", have a Beck's and watch the Weser flowing down to the sea. You can spend your life like that and it will never be boring!

Also there is the huge "Bürgerpark", where you can have a walk, watch the (actually man-made) nature, or maybe even play some soccer, like C. Alberto did when he arrived in Bremen. Actually though i think he knows the places in the first point better...

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Sporting Highlights

The people of Bremen are sports enthusiasts - especially when it comes to football.

Whenever there's a football to be kicked or a bike to be ridden, when flooded meadows freeze over in winter and provide a stage upon which skaters can execute bold figures, you can be sure that the people of Bremen will be there. Unless, that is, they are out on the water, sailing their boats towards the North Sea or messing about on the numerous watercourses in the city and its surrounding area.

Werder Bremen

Every two weeks, for example, the battle for leadership of Germany's football league is fought out in the 43.000-seater Weser Stadium. SV Werder Bremen is one of Europe's leading teams. Four times German champions - most recently in 2004 -, six times Cup winners and winners of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1992. A visit to the stadium of Bremen's footballing giants is a must for any football-lover.

Industries

Bremen is also a producer of premium German beer and top quality coffee. Other goodies produced here which contribute to the epicurean spread include quality chocolate products, fine herbs and spices, numerous breakfast snacks and tempting fish specialities.

Beck & Co's (today InBev) headlining brew Beck's and St Pauli Girl beers are brewed in Bremen. In past centuries when Bremen's port was the "key to Europe".

Several high-tech industries have settled in the city. Many of Germany's space technology exports are manufactured in EADS Astrium facilities in Bremen.
Furthermore, Bremen is the home of the second biggest Airbus plant of Germany.
There is also a Mercedes-Benz factory in Bremen, building the C, CLK, SL, and SLK series of cars.

Hotels in Bremen

click here

exchange [bank]

yellow map ...

Transport

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Airport Bremen

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Main station 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) from airport to Bremen City Center. The ride takes 11 minutes and costs €2.20. In the Tram is a blue box where you can buy your ticket (not with Visa or Mastercard)

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

Links

• all about of Werder Bremen (english version)
• International Board by WORUM.org