scubish.com: Travel information for Bremen

Bremen is a city in northern Germany, population 500,000+.

Understand

History
Bremen was once a member of the medieval Hanseatic League and is still one of the most important cities in northern Germany. Together with the city of Bremerhaven on the North Sea it forms Germany's smallest province.
Bremen has a more than 1200 years of history, and was most of the time an independent city state.

Geography
Bremen is a rather long and narrow city, lined along both sides of the river Weser. Along the north-west/south-east axis it stretches 37 km, but across only 10 km.

Get in

By air
Bremen airport (BRE) is located in the south-west of the town and offers flights to most bigger German cities and some European destinations. It`s easily accessible by public transport (tram line 6, about 20 minutes from the city centre) and by car. Major carriers are OLT ,Ryanair and Lufthansa .
By train
Regular and frequent services connect Bremen with the rest of Germany. There are trains nearly every hour to Hamburg in the north and Osnabrück, Münster and the Ruhr Area in the South as well as to Hanover. In the west lie the cities Delmenhorst and Oldenburg and the frisian islands.

By car
Autobahn 1 runs to Hamburg in the north and Cologne in the south but do check the traffic information! The A27 goes north to Bremerhaven and Cuxhaven and south towards Hanover, Braunschweig, Berlin and other eastwards connections.

Get around

By Foot
Much of Bremen (or at least the part frequented by travellers) can be negotiated by foot - the best way to explore the old city and its surrounding districts.

By Bus/Tram
Bremen offers an intensive public transportation network with street-cars (trams) and buses.
For public transportation timetables and ticket fares see (english).

By Taxi
Taxis are found nearly everywhere and everytime but they have got their price (about 1,25 EUR/km).

By Bike
You can hire bicycles at the railway station and several bike shops in Bremen. See http://www.adfc-bremen.de/ (German only).
Bremen is a quite bike-friendly city mostly due to his former mayor who is an avid cyclist (who despite the wishes of his bodyguards rode his bike every day to his office.)

See

Rathaus (Town Hall) this is one of the finest in Europe and as such has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Building work started in 1410 and it is seen as an important display of the wealth and freedom of the city. Tours of the interior are conducted by the Tourist information office at 11am, noon, 3pm and 4pm

Dom St Petri (Cathedral of St Peter) is over 1200 years old, and its huge towered façade dominates the main square. the interior is impressive with some fine painted details on the ceilings. There is a tressury displaying the collection of the cathedral. Entrance is free, for €1 you can climb the Southern Tower offering nice views over the whole city

Roland this statue on the main sqaure is of the Knight Roland who was a protector of trade. It appears in many European cities especially those involved in the Hanseatic league. Bremen's is considered one of the finest and is included with Town Hall on the World Heritgae List.

Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten (Town Musicians of Bremen) perhaps the most well known figures associated with Bremen are the characters from the Brohers Grimm Fairy Tale, their image adorns many of the souveniers in the city. Next to the Town Hall is a much photographed statue of them.

Böttcherstrasse is the incredible Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) street that runs from the main square towards the river. There are many fine façades and courtyards all with large amounts of design detail. There is an impressive Glockenspiel that chimes at regular intervals. There are lots of shops and several Museums, including the impressive Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum. Haus ATlantis (now the Hilton) has an impressive spiral staircase just inside, at the top of which is the staggering Himmelshaal (unfortuantly it is not normally open to the public).

Am Wall is a lovely park next to the former defensive moat which offers a nice place to sit and relax.

Schnoor this area of twisting lanes is a lovely place to wander aimlessly looking at in the many shops and also at the world smallest hotel (see Sleep)

Stroll around the city centre and visit the Schnoor-Viertel with it's old medieval buildings. If interested in arts visit the Bremer Kunsthalle (museum of art) with one of north Germany's finest collections.
If you like football, visit a match of the local team Werder Bremen in the stadium.

Events

January 6th: "Eiswette": a funny tradition where a tailor checks if he can cross the river Weser without getting wet feet.

February: carnival in Bremen, more south-american than cologne style

April: easter market

June: "vision parade": techno parade along the Weser, "Breminale" art festival along the River Weser

August: International Bremen Summer, circus festival LA STRADA, "Festival Maritim" in Bremen-Vegesack (in the northern end of Bremen)

October (2nd half): "Freimarkt" (free market), one of the biggest and oldest fairground festivals in Germany, right north of the railway station

November: International Cutter Race / "Kutterpullen" tournament (rowing contest on the Weser river)

December: christmas market around the city hall

The monthly free event magazine MIX has hosts an event calendar online (german only) .

Buy

Kluten, are a traditional sweet from Bremen. They are cubes of peppermint part covered in chocolate. Hachez, near the Town Hall, is a traditional Bremen based chocalatier and their stotre is well worth a visit to buy the Kluten, though they are also available at many other places throughout the centre.

Areas

Schnoor is a den of tight lanes selling boutique style products including Jewlery, African Artifacts, Paper Models and a year round Christmas Shop. There are also alot of shops selling Tourist Souveneirs.

Böttcherstrasse, This wonderful Art Nouveu street has many outlets cattering for upmarket/high quality products.

Markets are out on most of the squares around the Town Hall

Lloyd Passage, Obernstrasse, Sögestrasse are the main shopping streets with all the main High Street chains

Eat

Many restaurants cater for the hungry and will satisfy anyone. Several cafes and restaurant line the "Schlachte" along the Weser river while another popular area is the "Viertel" south of the Kunsthalle

Drink

The world-wide known Beck's Beer is brewed in Bremen. Guided brewery tours in english and german are offered.

The "Ratskeller" is a wine cellar and restaurant with a famous collection of wines and the oldest wines in Germany.

There are many bars, pubs and cafes in Bremen: the "Schlachte" along the Weser and the "Viertel", a young and lively quarter.

Sleep

Budget

International Youth Hostel Kalkstr.6, 28195 Bremen, tel +49(421)171369, fax +49(421)171102

Splurge

Hochzeitshaus Wüste Stätte 5, 28195 Bremen Tel: +49 (0170) 46 18333 €350 for first night €230 for subsequent nights.

This hotel has a very strong claim to being the smallest Hotel in the world. In fact if you stay here you have the whole hotel to yourself as it has just one room. It has a great location in the herat of the Schnoor district. It is based on the tradition of small hotels catering for newly wed couples seeking somewhere to consumate their marriges after the ceremony, and is aimed at a market that can help continue this tradition.

Hilton Böttcherstrasse 2, Tel: +49 (421) 36960 Fax: +49 (421) 3696960 €107-220

It is in an excellent location just off the main square with an entrance on the magical Böttcherstrasse. Its room are the high standard you would expect from the chain, and there is a small Pool, Sauna and Micro Gym in the bassement. The Böttcherstrasse entrance makes this a little more interesting than the rest of the chain as it has an impressive spiral staircase at the top of which is the fantastic Himmelsaal.

Bremen ˈbʀeːmən is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany (official name: Stadtgemeinde Bremen (City Municipality of Bremen)). It is a port city, situated along the river Weser, about 60 km south from its flow into the North Sea. Bremen is one of two towns belonging to the state of Bremen (official name: Freie Hansestadt Bremen (Free Hanseatic City of Bremen), referring to its membership in the medieval Hanseatic League), the other being Bremerhaven. Population: 545,983 (1 June 2005). The metropolitan area (Bremen-Oldenburg) has a population of more than 2.37 million.

History

In the 8th century the troops of Charlemagne advanced to the Weser in order to christianise the tribes settling here. The Swedish Viking Rurik, who had been given lands in Friesland, looted the city in 859, and as a result of this and other offences was expelled by Louis II. Bremen, which may have been an older settlement, became a bishopric; a deed claiming the town's foundation in 788 has now been recognised as a forgery, so the exact date is unknown. In the following centuries the bishops of Bremen were the driving force behind the Christianisation of Scandinavia.

In the 12th century, the power of the archbishops was challenged by Heinrich the Lion. The duke was successful and became the ruler of the town. These events led to a civil government and a loss of clerical power. Bremen became a merchants' town, and its ships dominated the southern portions of the North Sea. This dominance ended when the Hanseatic League, originally a tradealliance of the Baltic Sea only, expanded to the North Sea. In the early 14th century, ships from Bremen acted as pirates to board hanseatic cogs. In order to avoid open war, aldermen from Bremen went to the Hanseatic Council in Lübeck and agreed to become members of the league (1358).

Bremen remained a reluctant member of the Hanseatic League. The town demanded support for its wars against the chieftains of Frisia, who ruled the region around the Weser mouth, but they seldom joined campaigns in the Baltic Sea. In 1425, the conflict escalated when the citizens burnt hanseatic documents in the market place. Bremen was expelled from the league in 1427. The consequences soon followed: the sudden loss of power led to territorial claims of neighbouring states (e.g. Oldenburg) and significant territorial losses.

Germany's first man-made harbour was built at Vegesack in 1620.

On March 6, 1901 an assassin attempted to kill Wilhelm II of Germany in Bremen.

After World War II, Bremen became a part of the American occupation zone since the USA wanted to have one port town within their zone. This prevented the inclusion of Bremen into the new Land of Lower Saxony that was formed around it within the British zone, and secured Bremen's independence as a Federal State in its own right in the new West German federation.

Population history
:1810: 35,800 inhabitants
:1830: 43,700
:1850: 55,100
:1880: 111,900
:1900: 161,200
:1925: 295,000
:1998: 550,000
:2006: 546,900

Politics

The Stadtbürgerschaft (municipal assembly) is made up of 67 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.

One of the two mayors (Bürgermeister) is elected President of the Senate (Präsident des Senats) and serves as head of the city and the state. The current President is Jens Böhrnsen.

Sights

Many of the sights in Bremen are found in the Altstadt (Old Town), an oval area surrounded by the Weser River, on the southwest, and the Wallgraben, the former moats of the medieval city walls, on the northeast. The oldest part of the Altstadt is the southeast half, starting with the Marktplatz and ending at the Schnoor district.

The Marktplatz (Market square) is dominated by the opulent façade of the Town Hall. The building was erected between 1405 and 1410 in Gothic style, but the façade was built two centuries later (1609–12) in Renaissance style. Today, it hosts a restaurant in original decor with gigantic wine barrels, 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.

In front and to the side of the Town Hall stand two statues: one is the statue (1404) of the city's protector, Roland, bearing Durendart, the "sword of justice" and a shield decorated with an imperial eagle. The other is Gerhard Marcks's 1953 bronze sculpture Die Stadtmusikanten (Town Musicians) 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 weighing house (built in 1588), with an ornate Renaissance façade. The façades and houses surrounding the market square were the first buildings in Bremen to be restored after World War II, by the citizens of Bremen themselves.

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

The Liebfrauenkirche (Our Lady's Church) is the oldest church of the town (11th century). Its crypt features several impressive murals from the 14th century.

Off the south side of the Markplatz, the 110-metre (120 yards) Böttcherstraße was transformed in 1923–1931 by the coffee Magnate Ludwig Roselius, who commissioned local artists to convert the narrow street (in medieval time, the street of the barrel makers) into an inspired mixture of Gothic and Art Nouveau. It was considered "entartete Kunst" (depraved art) by the Nazis. Today, the street is one of Bremen's most popular attractions.

At the end of Böttcherstraße, by the Weser bank, stands the Martinikirche (St Martin's Church), a Gothic brick church built in 1229, and rebuilt in 1960 after its destruction in World War II.

Tucked away between the Cathedral and the river is the Schnoor, a small, well-preserved area of crooked lanes and fishing houses from the 15th and 16th centuries, now occupied by cafés, artisan shops and art galleries.

Schlachte, the medieval harbour of Bremen (the modern port is some kilometres downstream) and today a street with one pub/bar next to the other on the one side and on the other side the river Weser.

More contemporary tourist attractions include:

Universum Science Center, a modern science museum

botanika, an extension to a public rhododendron park that attempts to the same as above Universum for biology

Beck's Brewery, tours are available to the public which include beer tasting

The Space Center opened in 2004 inside the Space Park in the Gröpelingen district and closed on September 26 of that year.

The Kunsthalle Bremen, an art museum with paintings from the 19th and 20th century, maintained by the citizens of Bremen

The Neues Museum Weserburg, an art museum with modern paintings and sculptures

Structures

Mediumwave transmitter Bremen

Fallturm Bremen

Bremen-Walle Telecommunication Tower

The Freie Waldorfschule in Bremen-Sebaldsbrück was Germany's first school built to the Passivhaus low-energy building standard.

Sister cities

Bremen's Sister Cities are:

Education

The University of Bremen is the largest university in Bremen . Bremen has a University of the Arts and the more practice-related University of Applied Sciences, more recently the Jacobs University Bremen.

Miscellaneous

Several high-tech industries have settled in the city. Many of Germany's space technology exports are manufactured in EADS SPACE Transportation facilities in Bremen, such as the Columbus module of the International Space Station, Europe's Ariane 5 rocket upper stages and the Automated Transfer Vehicle. Furthermore, Bremen is the home of the second biggest Airbus plant of Germany, producing wing equipment for the A300/A310, A330/A340 and A380 families of aircraft.
There is also a Mercedes-Benz factory in Bremen, building the C, CLK, SL, and SLK series of cars. Beginning in 2008, the GLK sport utility vehicle will also be built in Bremen. Beck's and St Pauli Girl beers are brewed in Bremen. It also had a huge number of wine import merchants, but the number is down to a precious few. Apart from that there is another link between Bremen and wine: about 800 years ago, quality wines were produced here, whereas the imported Bordeaux wines were regarded as the cheap ones reserved for the lower classes of society. A large number of household name food producing companies are located in Bremen: Kellogg's, Kraft Jacobs Suchard, Melitta, Vitakraft .

Bremen has an international airport situated in the south of the city (ICAO code: EDDW / IATA code: BRE).

It is home of the football team SV Werder Bremen which won the German Football Championship for the fourth and the German Football Cup for the fifth time in 2004, making SV Werder Bremen just the fourth team in German football history to win the double.

Bremen is connected with a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, the Town Musicians of Bremen, although they never actually reach Bremen in the tale.

Every year since 1036, in the last two weeks of October, Bremen has hosted Freimarkt ("Free market"), one of the world's oldest and in Germany one of today's biggest continuously celebrated fairground festivals.

Bremen is also host to one of the four big annual Techno parades, the Vision Parade, and also the birthplace of the American comedic industrial musician Kompressor.

Bremen is the birthplace of violinist Georg Kulenkampff, entertainer Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff, actors Ben Becker and Meret Becker, singer, songwriter (current Band: Element of Crime), and novelist Sven Regener, James Last, President Karl Carstens (term 1979–1984) and more celebrities.

Every year the city plays host to young musicians from across the world, playing in the International Youth Symphony Orchestra of Bremen (IYSOB).

Bremen was host to the 2006 RoboCup competition.

Bremen will host the 2009 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

Gallery

image:Bremen-rathaus.jpg|The city hall (Rathaus)
image:bremen.pigs.750pix.jpg|Swineherd and pigs sculpture in Bremen
Image:weserhb.jpg|The Weser River in Bremen
Image:Bremen-Becks_Brewery.jpg|Beck & Co
Image:Bremen-Böttcherstraße-wall.jpg|A building on Böttcherstraße
Image:Bremenbank.jpg|Bremen Bank

Local beers brewed in Bremen

Beck's

Haake-Beck

Kräusen

Hemelinger

St. Pauli Girl

List of Mayors of Bremen

External links

Miscellaneous

Official city website

Official visitors information (various languages)

University of Bremen

Hochschule or University of applied sciences