According to mcat-test-centers, Bremen is a Hanseatic city located in the northwest of Germany. Together with Bremerhaven it forms the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. With an area of 404 square kilometers, it is the smallest federal state in Germany. Because the two cities are sixty kilometers apart, they form two enclaves within the state of Lower Saxony. Bremen has a history that goes back to the eighth century AD. However, Bremen really flourished in the late Middle Ages, when it was an important trade hub in the region. Today Bremen is a modern big city with more than half a million inhabitants, it seems that many buildings seem to date from the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, as in many other German cities, here too, that Bremen was largely bombed during the Second World War. Most historic buildings that you see in Bremen are reconstructions of buildings that were (partly) destroyed during the war.
According to Germany experts, Bremen is one of the nicest large cities that you can visit in Germany. It is a lively city with plenty to see and do. Do you want to know what to do in Bremen? Our top 10 sights in Bremen can help you on your way.
Bremen ‘s Top 10 Things to Do
#1. town hall
The historic town hall on the Markt in Bremen was built at the beginning of the fifteenth century. The green zinc roof contrasts with the cheerful stepped gable from 1608. It is said that the great hall is the only medieval city hall that is still completely intact. In the western part of the town hall is a beautiful old Meybach clock from 1739, which was made by Georg Christoph Meybach. Opposite the town hall on the Markt is the statue of Roland. He is the protector of the city of Bremen and stands for civil liberty.
#2. Schnoor
The oldest part of the Hanseatic city of Bremen is located in the Schnoor district. With a walk through the narrow streets you will soon discover the medieval atmosphere that still hangs there. In this part of the city, all kinds of old crafts were carried out, whether or not related to fishing and the Bremerhaven. In 1959 it was decided to refurbish the Schnoor Viertel and partly rebuild it according to the idea as it used to look. With this, the city has managed to preserve an important piece of history, which we can still enjoy today. Schnoor’s most famous house is the Schifferhaus from 1630 on the Stavendamm.
#3. St. Petri Dom
Bremen Cathedral is an impressive sight with its two high towers. The cathedral is located at the Rathausplatz in the center of the city. The first stones of this building were laid as early as the eleventh century. The whole thing had a very different appearance at the time. Slowly, parts have been added and adapted to eventually achieve what we see today. The last major adjustment took place in the nineteenth century. In the St. Petri Dom is a museum with all kinds of objects that the church has received and which were found during excavations.
#4. art hall
Bremen’s art museum is located on the Am Wall. In the museum you can admire paintings and other works of art from the fourteenth to the twentieth century. Well-known and lesser-known names such as Monet, Franz Krüger, van Gogh and Camille Corot are reviewed. The building housing the Kunsthalle of Bremen was built in 1849 on what used to be the garbage dump. Nearly fifty years later, the first expansion took place and more followed later. Today, the Kunsthalle houses an outstanding collection of artworks reflecting 600 years of art history.
#5. Bottcherstrasse
To enter the approximately one hundred meters long historic Böttcherstraße you must first pass the golden relief the ‘Lichtbringer’. This striking work of art has stirred up quite a few tongues. The artist Bernhard Hoetger, who was appointed by coffee trader Ludwig Roselius to redevelop Böttcherstraße, paid a sort of tribute to Hitler, who then rejected it in a speech. The Haus Atlantis building in Böttcherstraße is also designed by him. In the Böttcherstraße number 6, a house was bought by Ludwig Roselius at the beginning of the twentieth century. Today it is a museum about this striking man and his private art collection.
#6. Universe Bremen
Bremen’s Science Museum is housed in very appropriate premises. The building, which looks like a flying saucer to some and a mussel to others, has a remarkable appearance. In any case, the architect Thomas Klumpp tried to create something special and he succeeded. In the science museum Universum Bremen you can enjoy permanent exhibitions about humanity, the earth and the cosmos. Outside there is the ‘EntdeckPark’ and if you are looking for some adrenaline you can try to climb the 27 meter high ‘Turm der Lüfte’.
#7. schlachte
Especially during the warmer months, the Schlachte is one of the ‘places to be’ in Bremen. The Schlachte is a promenade along the eastern bank of the River Weser in Bremen’s Old Town. The catering industry present here ensures that the Schlachte is the nicest part along the Weser. Along the car-free promenade you will find several so-called ‘biergartens’. At the characteristic long wooden tables you can enjoy a beer and all kinds of German delicacies. Especially in the summer it is good to stay on the Schlachte. When it’s not warm enough, blankets and heaters work wonders.
#8. Bremen Town Musicians
Next to Bremen’s town hall is a striking bronze statue. The sculpture, made in 1953, shows four animals standing on top of each other: the donkey at the bottom, the dog on its back, the cat on top and the rooster on top. It is a monument dedicated to the fairy tale ‘The Bremen Town Musicians’, written by the Brothers Grimm. The story is here on wikipediato read. You can see the four musicians in the streets of Bremen in different ways. The bronze statue is the best known. In Bremen it is said: “If one holds the donkey by the front legs with both hands, then a wish comes true.” Therefore, the front legs of the statue are shiny. Under no circumstances should one take hold of a donkey’s leg with only one hand, because then one donkey would reach out to the other donkey.
Elsewhere on Bremen’s market square, the Bremer Loch has been added. Roosters crowing, meowing, barking and a loud IA – that’s what it sounds like from a manhole cover right in front of the Bremen parliament on the market square of Bremen. If you throw a coin into the trench, you will be rewarded with the “singing” of the Bremen town musicians. Because behind it hides an unusual donation box. The coins thrown in are used to support projects for the people of the city.
#9. Roland
As the right hand of Emperor Charlemagne and as a military leader, Roland has won many battles. According to some, he would have been a cousin of Charlemagne. After his death, things were slightly romanticized and since then Roland has been referred to as a legendary hero from medieval Europe. In various images and sculptures Roland is regularly shown blowing an ivory hunting horn and his unbreakable sword ‘Durendal’. In the city of Bremen, Roland can be admired on the Grote Markt in front of the town hall. The statue has been here since 1404 where it acts as a symbol of justice and freedom.
#10. Wallanlagen
The ramparts of Bremen were part of the fortifications of Bremen. They were part of the fortifications built until the 17th century. These city fortifications had to defend Bremen for centuries against uninvited guests. Before this, the fortifications were provided with city walls and city gates. Those have now disappeared. The ramparts (in German: Wallanlagen) that lie on the north side of the center have largely been preserved. They have been transformed into a much-loved city park. Walking or cycling through the park you will encounter various monuments. A striking building is the mill of the Wallanlagen Park. The original mill was built in 1699. It burned down in 1832. After its last restoration, the new mill was used as a coffee grinder for a while. Today the mill is a striking structure within the center of Bremen and has a catering function.
