Bremen

In Northwestern Germany lies the smallest state of Bremen. Though it has  only 419 square kilometers of land and a population of 660,000,  it is a very fascinating place full of history and well worth a look.

Bremen is famous for its “Altstadt” (Old Town). Here you'll find the “Wallgraben”, the medieval city walls,  the “Marktplatz” (marketplace), and the Schnoor quarter. The Schnoor quarter is filled with beautiful old buildings. Most are from the 17^th and 18^th century, but some even date back to the 15^th century. It's a wonderful place to stroll. One of the most interesting buildings there is the “Schifferhaus” (Shipper's house) on the street of Stavendamm. The house was built in 1630 and expanded in 1750. Some of the beams are over 400 years old!

In the “Marktplatz” (marketplace), you'll find the Town Hall of Bremen with its opulent facade. It was built in 1405 in Gothic style but the facade was built centuries later in Renaissance style. Not only does it house the President of the Senate of Bremen, it also hosts a great restaurant with gigantic wine barrels. The restaurant is called “Ratskeller,” and you can get more than 600 different wines there. All of them are German wines, and if you've never tried one, this is the place you should go. In 2004, the building was added to the list of  UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

On the west side of the Town Hall, you'll find the statue of Roland, built in 1404. Roland is the city's protector. He carries the sword of justice in one hand, and a shield in the other hand.

Another statue is located near the entrance of the “Ratskeller,” and this one shows the “Stadtmusikanten” (Town Musicians) from the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale. It is certainly something you would want to show to your kids while you're there. This statue was built in 1953 and is made out of bronze.

The oldest church in town is the “Liebfrauenkirche” (Our Lady's Church). It was built in the 11^th century. Its crypt features some very interesting murals from the 14^th century.

Another extremely interesting place is the Böttcherstraße. Between 1923 and 1931, a local coffee magnate hired local artists to transform the street into a mix of Gothic and Art Nouveou. The Nazis considered it “entartete Kunst”  (degenerate art), but today it's one of the most popular attractions in Bremen!

If you prefer to see something less old, you might want to visit the Universum Science Center. Aside from its interesting architecture, it's a very fascinating science museum. Over 450,000 people visit it annually. It was built in the year 2000 and is located near the University of Bremen.

If you can't imagine a trip to Germany without tasting its world famous beer, just visit the Beck's Brewery. Interestingly enough, Beck's beer was only sold abroad until 1949 when they began to sell it in Germany too.

All the best,

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