Things to do in Bremen

Bremen has a cultural tradition more than 1,000 years old, a heritage influenced by ways of life experienced by merchants around the old and new worlds. You can visit various museums and art galleries exhibiting remarkable works of art, and therefore experience and discover a whole world of arts and crafts. From the Bremen Theatre and the Shakespeare Company, to the city’s strong collection of museums such as the Kunsthalle Bremen, which is one of Germany’s most prominent foundation museums, or the Neues Museum Weserburg, Germany’s largest museum for contemporary art, to musical productions, quirky variety shows and the city’s very own theatre ship; there is something for everyone.

The statue of Roland

At over five metres tall, this statue is a symbol of the autonomy and perpetual freedom of Bremen, and it has stood in the middle of the town since 1404. The town’s citizens set it up, and when the city celebrates its birthday at Freimarkt, the ever-smiling giant receives a heart around his neck.

Town Hall

The magnificent Town Hall is the other landmark of Bremen. It was built from 1404 to 1408 and rebuilt by the great Renaissance architect, Lüder von Bentheim, from 1595 to 1612. The decorative gables around the Town Hall were also created in the Renaissance. The Town Hall serves as the backdrop for many festivals, markets and political demonstrations that are held in the city.

Town Musicians

Gerhard Marcks's famous 1953 bronze sculpture Die Stadtmusikanten (Town Musicians), which portrays the donkey, dog, cat and rooster, the main characters of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale.  The statue is right next to the Town Hall.

The Market Place

The Marktplatz (Market Square) is dominated by the opulent façade of the Town Hall. This building was erected between 1405 and 1410 in Gothic style, but the façade was built two centuries later (1609 to 1612) in Renaissance style. The Market Place, in the middle of the Old Town, is a point in Bremen where locals and tourists meet. As in the old days, the place is almost entirely enclosed by buildings, but it still leads into the neighbouring streets and squares.

Bttcherstrae

From the Market Place, a small lane leads directly to the beautiful and secret street, Böttcherstraße. Above the entrance to Böttcherstraße, you are greeted by ‘The Bringer of Light’, a gold-leaved wall sculpture made by the artist Bernhard Hoetger. The coffee merchant and benefactor of the arts (and inventor of decaffeinated coffee), Ludwig Roselius, gave this enchanting Böttcherstraße as a gift to the people of Bremen. The Böttcherstraße was created from 1932 to 1931 by the architects Runge and Scotland, and is famous for art collections, museums and restaurants.

Theatrium

The Theatrium is a small puppet show theatre situated in Schnoor, one of the oldest districts of Bremen. The Theatrium offers productions for children as well as for adults including well-known plays like ‘The Little Prince’, by Antoine de Saint-Exupèry, and homemade pieces written by the puppet players themselves. The Theatrium has made guest appearances in many foreign countries, and each year in autumn, there is an international festival for puppet players at the theatre. Phone: +49 421 32 68 13

St Peters Cathedral (Dom St Petri)

In Bremen, everything started with the Dom Cathedral; not with the building itself, but with the appointment of a bishop over 1,000 years ago. The Dom was built in 1040, later modified, destroyed, rebuilt and finally restored with its two-tower front from 1887 to 1904. Phone: +49 421 36 50 40

Schoor district

The medieval-looking Schnoor district is arguably the most romantic place in Bremen. This is where fishermen and sailors originally settled. Nowadays, the Schnoor is one of the most popular attractions in the city. Alongside the old houses are innumerable artist studios and galleries, antiques dealers, grocery shops, cafés, restaurants and taverns.

Culture Train

You can do cultural sightseeing round Bremen by train once a month on a Saturday. The Culture Train is no ordinary train; it presents new cultural topics every month, and you can take a look behind the scenes of theatre, dance, music, literature and Bremen’s history.

Rhododendron Park
The Rhododendron Park in Bremen-Horn is the most significant park of its kind in Europe. Over 1,600 rhododendron species blossom here from the end of April to the beginning of July. Another 400 different species are kept in a specially air-conditioned greenhouse.