Bremen (Germany) - City Tour

Описание:    • Bremen (Germany) - City Tour  

Best Things to Do in Bremen (Germany)

Let’s explore the best things to do in Bremen:

1. Bremen Cathedral
St Peter’s Cathedral commands the central market square has 1,200 years of history.

Unsurprising given its age, the building is a mishmash of styles, with Romanesque, Gothic and bits of later Gothic Revival sprinkled in following restorations in the 19th century.

The cathedral’s pair of 89-metre towers break Bremen’s skyline, and you can go up the south tower for an exhilarating view.

In one of the chapels don’t miss the nine fragments of the cathedral’s choir stalls, which were carved with episodes from the bible in 1360. The crypt meanwhile is the oldest portion of the church, and goes back to the 11th century.

2. Bremen City Hall
One of the most beautiful civic buildings, not just in Germany, but all of Europe, Bremen’s City Hall earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2005. What began as a Brick Gothic hall in the 15th century was given an exquisite Renaissance makeover 200 years later when the rich reliefs and statues were carved.

You could lose a lot of time marveling at the stonework and identifying all the figures on here, like Charlemagne and Bremen’s seven Imperial Electors.

3. Marktplatz
We’ve already mentioned the cathedral and town hall, which together could keep you on the central market square for half a day.

But apart from the historic gabled houses overlooking the square there are a few other monuments to look for.

One is the Gothic Roland Statue, erected in front of the town hall in 1404 and depicting a mythological knight who symbolises Bremen’s free city status.

4. Böttcherstraße
Running towards the Weser from Marktplatz is a 100-metre street that was rescued from dilapidation and transformed by an architectural project during the 1920s.

The idea came from the Bremen coffee magnate, and inventor of decaf coffee, Ludwig Roselius, and he hired the Expressionist artist Bernhard Hoetger to oversee the works.

The outcome was a spectacular line of buildings and courtyards in what is known as the Brick Expressionism style.

This is a blend of Expressionist art, Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) and Art Deco, with constant hints to traditional Low German architecture in the houses’ gables and mullioned windows.

5. Haus des Glockenspiels
Maybe Berhard Hoetger’s most beautiful contributions to Böttcherstraße are the wooden panels that rotate in time to the carillon at the Haus des Glockenspiels.

If you’re in Bremen during spring or summer, try to time your visit for just before the stroke of the hour, between 12:00 and 18:00. Thirty bells made from Meissen porcelain and set between the house’s gables play the tunes of old sea shanties and folk songs.

6. Schlachte
In Bremen’s Old Town the right bank of the Weser was turned into a pedestrian zone in the 1980s and 90s.

The promenade and restored houses are over what used to be Bremen’s main harbour, until increases in the size of freight and the introduction of railways moved a lot of the water-bourne traffic to Bremerhaven on the coast.

You can relax at a biergarten in summer or choose from a wide selection of restaurants, both German an international.

You could also take a slow, leisurely walk beside the water, or board one of many boats here for a trip on the Weser.

7. Ludwig Roselius Museum
On Böttcherstraße you also have to call in at the Roselius-House, which displays the private collection of the coffee merchant Ludwig Roselius.

The house is the oldest on the street, raised at the end of the 16th century.

He amassed a trove of curios and art from the early middle ages to the 17th century, made up of liturgical ornaments, Renaissance paintings and sculpture.

8. Mühle am Wall
The mill “on the wall” is a “smock mill”, on an octagonal base constructed in 1898. It is the most recent of a succession of windmills at this very spot, going back to 1699. The mill now houses a restaurant, and there’s a terrace outside shaded by parasols.

9. Church of Our Lady
The Gothic vaults of the nave and choir have been stripped back to the bare stone, and have a stark beauty.

The church came through the war with minor damage, but 19 of its stained glass windows were destroyed.

The French modern artist Alfred Manessier was hired to design the replacements in the 60s and 70s, and these evoke bible passages with his trademark bright linear patterns.

10. Bremer Bonbon Manufaktur
In the Handwerkerhof (Craftsman’s Courtyard) off Böttcherstrasse you might be distracted by a sweet fragrance.

This comes from the candy factory, which is run by the tourist board and makes traditional hard candy presented in cute packaging with Bremen’s animal musicians on the label.

Naturally, these make for a good souvenir or gift.

Best of all there’s a window that opens onto the kitchens where you can see artisan candy of different colours shapes and sizes being made by hand.