BEST OF BREMEN

best of
bremen
Contents
“I am nobody here, and
would love to be someone, because this city is
true, and truth is rare.”
Poet and author Joachim Ringelnatz­writes about
Bremen in his ‘Tr av el­Correspondence of an Artiste’
­( published in 1928).
History & heritage
Life & society
Food & drink
Culture & arts
Sons & daughters
Sports & events
Discover Bremen for yourself or discover a new side to our city;
but whatever you do, pass on the message!
p. 04
p. 09
p. 17
p. 21
p. 30
p. 33
Science & research
p. 36
Business & commerce
p. 39
‘Best of Bremen’ is an initiative of Junior Chamber Club of
Bremen Chamber of Commerce. The English edition is published with the kind support of Bremer Touristik-Zentrale and
WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen.
02 / 03
History & heritage
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS.
Bremen joined the Hanseatic League, an association representing the interests of
northern European merchants, on 3 August 1358. Upon joining, the city had to promise to accept and obey the League’s rules and resolutions. And Bremen’s identity
is still inextricably linked with its Hanseatic heritage, as is reflected in its official
name: the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.
Fishtown King. TWO’S COMPANY.
When a ship carrying over 1,000 GIs
pulled into Columbus quay in Bremerhaven on 1 October 1958, it was barely
possible to move for reporters and onlookers. And the reason? Elvis Presley,
the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, was on board.
The US superstar had been stationed in
Europe for his military service, and his
first steps on German soil were made in
the so-called fishtown.
Bremen, together with Bremerhaven,
forms the only federal state in Germany
consisting of two cities.
A FIRST FOR
BREMEN.
SALVATION IN
THE SCHNOOR.
ARD, Germany’s very first public-service
broadcaster, was founded on 10 June
1950 in Bremen. Known as ‘The First’,
the channel is still going strong today
and provides an alternative to privately owned and commercially financed TV
stations.
The Birgitten Convent of Bremen, located in the historical Schnoor quarter, was
founded in 2002 by the Roman Catholic
Order of the Most Holy Saviour. It was the
first of its kind to be established in the
city since the Middle Ages.
LANDING ON
FIRM GROUND.
www.
bestof
bremen.
de
BREMEN ACROSS
THE ATLANTIC.
On 12 April 1928, a Junkers W33 aircraft named ‘Bremen’ became the first
to cross the Atlantic from east to west. It
took around 36 hours for the plane to fly
from Dublin to Greenly Island in Canada.
One year later, the steamship ‘Bremen’,
owned by the city’s Norddeutscher Lloyd
line, received the Blue Ribbon for achieving the fastest transatlantic crossing.
Bremen Airport, which opened in 1913,
had a paved runway before any other airport in Germany. The first international aircraft took to the skies from
Bremen as long ago as 1920.
04 / 05
History & heritage PORT PIONEER.
The first man-made harbour in Europe
was built in 1618 in Bremen-Vegesack in
the north of the city. This was necessary
because the Weser river was increasingly silting up as it flowed through the old
quarter, which meant that the bigger
merchant vessels could no longer dock
there.
600 YEARS
OF WORLD
HERITAGE.
The Gothic town hall from 1405 and the
stone Roland statue can be found on the
market square, the historical heart of
the city, and are Bremen’s most famous
landmarks. In 2004, the ensemble gained
UNESCO World Heritage status.
FIRST ON THE
MOON AND FIRST
IN BREMEN.
The USA opened its first consulate general in Europe in 1794 in Bremen. Since
the American War of Independence came
to an end in 1783, our Hanseatic city has
maintained close trade relations with
the United States.
THIRD TIME
LUCKY.
There is a local saying in the city suggesting that success comes for people of
Bremen at the third attempt. Its origins
lie in the history of the city, which in the
Middle Ages had its own particular rules
of law, for example three courts of appeal, three witnesses for conclusive evidence and three proclamations for establishing legal validity. The people of
Bremen were also granted three special
rights by the Holy Roman Emperor – to
wear gold and furs if they were councillors, to have their own jurisdiction and
to freely engage in shipping on the Weser river.
GUARDIAN OF THE CITY.
The Roland began its journey around Europe as a symbol of liberty from Bremen. It
represents emancipation from the church and the independence of a city’s people.
There are approximately 30 Roland statues around the world – from New York to Brazil, from Croatia to Latvia. And during the French occupation of Bremen, Napoleon
was so enamoured by the city’s Roland that he made plans to dismantle the statue
and have it rebuilt at the Louvre in Paris.
What’s
in a name?
The name Bremen derives from the
Old Saxon word bremo, which roughly translates as ‘on the edge’, a reference to the city’s location along the
Weser river dunes.
HELICOPTER
THINKING.
Bremen aviation pioneer Henrich
Focke is regarded as the father of rotary flight. His FW-61 was the world’s
first fully operational helicopter.
The prototype’s maiden flight took
place on 26 June 1936. A wind tunnel for aerodynamic and stability
tests, which was built by Focke in
1960, stands today on Emil-Waldmann-Strasse and can be visited on
the first Sunday of each month.
06 / 07
Life & society
History & heritage NORTHERN
LIGHT.
The Roter Sand lighthouse from 1885 is
the world’s oldest offshore structure. It
is named after the shallow banks of red
sand on which it stands. Nowadays, the
tower at the mouth of the Weser near
Bremerhaven is a listed site of historical
interest and visitors have been able to
stay overnight there since 1999.
Trailblazer
in Container
Shipping.
On 6 May 1966, the US ship Fairland set
down its first containers on a German
quay in Bremen’s overseas docks. These
iconic steel boxes are now the standard
bearer for sea cargo. Bremen was thus
the first German seaport to engage in
container transhipment.
FULL STEAM
AHEAD.
Between 1817 and 1833, Germany’s first
steamship made the journey between
Bremen and the small town of Brake in
Lower Saxony. It was called ‘Die Weser’.
Sea Mail.
The Washington paddle steamer owned
by the Ocean Steam Navigation Company made its maiden voyage between New
York and Bremerhaven in 1847, opening
a regular transatlantic service for mail
and passengers.
www.bestofbremen.de
BREMEN’S
BACON FLAG.
The people of Bremen affectionately call
their flag the Speckflagge (bacon flag) in
reference to its red and white stripes and
checked pattern towards the hoist.
GUARDIAN ANGELS OF
GERMANY’S COAST.
From its base in Bremen, the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service has been
responsible for the safety of all vessels along Germany’s North Sea and Baltic coasts
for more than 140 years. Its operations centre is located on the Weser river.
A PARK
LESS TALK,
FOR THE PEOPLE. MORE ACTION.
The Bürgerpark (people’s park) in Bremen
has been funded solely by donations for
more than 140 years. Covering an area of
202.5 hectares, it is the largest privately financed municipal park in Germany.
The people of Bremen are traditionally very community minded and like
to help out their fellow citizens. That’s
why, for example, the city has more than
300 charitable foundations.
Life & society
IT’S ALL IN THE NAME.
SHOWTIME.
TWO WHEELS ARE
BETTER THAN FOUR.
THINK BREMEN’S
SMALL?
THINK AGAIN.
In the USA, there are no fewer than ten towns called
Bremen. And in 2003, the passengers and crew of the
MS Bremen cruise ship came across a previously uncharted island in Antarctica that is now officially known as
‘Bremen Island’. It is separated from its neighbouring islands by the ‘Bremen Channel’.
Founded in 1969, the cinema in BremenOstertor was Germany’s first arthouse movie theatre and remains a popular place to
watch films outside the Hollywood mainstream.
Bremen is a compact city, making it easy to travel around.
What’s more, around 22 per cent of its entire transport network consists of cycle paths – a higher proportion than in
any other major German city. And staying on the subject
of cycling, Bremen is home to the head office of the German Cyclists’ Federation (ADFC), which was founded here
in 1979.
FLOWING OR FROZEN?
Is the river ‘going’ or ‘staying’, i.e. is it flowing or frozen over? Every year since 1829,
this question has been answered on 6 January at the traditional ice wager ceremony.
To prove which is the case, a tailor holding a red-hot iron has to walk from one side
of the river to the other without getting wet. The last time the Weser was completely
frozen over on 6 January was in 1947.
Bremen, which covers an area of 325 square
kilometres and has a population of nearly
550,000, is the tenth biggest city in Germany. It also occupies sixth place in the ranking of major German industrial hubs.
ANIMAL MAGIC.
The Zoo am Meer (zoo by the sea) in
Bremerhaven opened its doors to the
public on 24 June 1928 and remains
hugely popular thanks to its polar
bears, seals and penguins.
www.bestofbremen.de
10 / 11
Life & society
BREMEN TREES IN
BERLIN’S PARK.
In 1949, the mayor of Bremen Wilhelm Kaisen donated 30,000 trees to Berlin after the woods in the city’s Tiergarten Park had to be chopped down for firewood
at the end of the Second World War.
CATHEDRAL OF CALIBRE.
St. Petri Cathedral is one of Bremen’s most eye-catching landmarks and dominates the cityscape whatever the time of day. An old Bremen tradition dictates
that no building in the city can be taller than the cathedral. For technical reasons, however, a blind eye had to be turned in the case of the TV tower and the
drop tower at Bremen University.
PARLIAMENT
Money,
WITHOUT HONOUR? Money,
Even today, members of the senate in the Free
Hanseatic City of Bremen do not accept official Money.
honours. The idea is to avoid being bound in any
way to the institution that issues the honour.
A GREEN LIGHT FOR
ECO-POLITICS.
In 1979, members of the Bremer Grüne Liste
made a major breakthrough when they became
the first green party in Germany to win seats in
a regional parliament, achieving 5.14 per cent
of the Bremen vote. French-born Delphine Brox,
who held German citizenship, was one of the four
appointed representatives and also the first foreigner to sit in a German regional assembly.
www.bestof
bremen.de
According to a survey carried out
by the German Federal Statistical Office in 2004, Bremen has
the third highest concentration
of millionaires in Germany, with
14.9 for every 100,000 residents.
Only Hamburg (23.5) and Bavaria (16.3) have more.
FRIENDS ALL
over THE
WORLD.
Bremen maintains active partnerships with a host of international cities, including Gdansk
(Poland), Riga (Latvia), Haifa (Israel), Dalian (China), Durban
(South Africa) and Izmir (Turkey). These links allow students
from the two respective countries to spend semesters studying abroad and foster many other forms of cultural exchange.
12 / 13
Life & society
ONCE A BREMER,
ALWAYS A BREMER.
In a survey conducted by market research company Ipsos, 96 per cent of people
said they “enjoy living in Bremen” – an impressively high figure for a big city. And
89 per cent of residents who were polled by Forsa felt their life in the Hanseatic city
was either not very stressful or not at all stressful.
HANSEATIC RESTRAINT.
The people of Bremen are world champions in understatement. Showing off just isn’t
the done thing here. Locals talk about a Hanseatic restraint that can be traced back
to the high proportion of well-to-do individuals living in the three Hanseatic cities
of Hamburg, Lübeck and Bremen.
COME ON YOU
GREENS!
Green and white are the colours of the
city’s football team Werder Bremen, and
the club’s home stadium also has green
credentials. The exterior shell is completely coated by photovoltaic cells that
produce up to 840,000 kilowatt hours of
electricity per year – a first for a German stadium. Fans can also travel to the
games by ferry, arriving right outside
the arena at a special landing stage –
something else that’s unique to professional German football.
CALL OF THE MOUNTAINS.
Bremen is not exactly known for its mountainous terrain, and the Alps are at the other end of Germany. But despite this, Bremen manages to support a thriving mountaineering club with 3,400 members. These fans of alpine pursuits even have their
very own ‘Bremen hut’ in Austria where they can relax after a walk or climb.
GOLD STANDARD IN GREEN ENERGY.
In 2011, Bremen received the European Energy Award in Gold in recognition of its
commitment to the environment and its eco-friendly energy policy. The award is
part of an EU initiative involving around 770 local authorities in eleven countries.
Bremen scored particularly highly, according to the panel of judges, in the categories of transport policy and communication.
TRADITIONAL
MEETS
MODERN.
One of Europe’s biggest urban regeneration projects is currently
under way in the old docks in west
Bremen. A brand new city quarter is
taking shape here, combining traditional dockland architecture with
modern residential and office space
right beside the water. Its name is
Überseestadt, and it’s also home to
Bremen’s tallest office building, the
82-metre Weser Tower.
www.bestofbremen.de
14 / 15
Food & drink
THE CITY OF CURLY KALE.
full of surprises
In Bremen and the surrounding region, ‘cabbage tours’ are a popular custom
practised between early November and late February. And although pushing
a hand cart through the countryside in the freezing cold might not sound like
much fun, there’s lots of drinking and merriment involved, and a meal of curly
kale and sausage to look forward to at the end.
Bremen, the buzzing city on the Weser river, has so much to
see and do. Discover the historical market square, the popular
Weser promenade, exhibitions, festivals and much more besides.
COFFEE HOUSE TALES.
In 1673, Bremen became the first city in Germany to be granted the right for coffee to be served to the public. And Bremen is still closely linked with the trade
in ‘black gold’. The beans for half of all coffee drunk in Germany are imported
via the Hanseatic city.
WHO INVENTED IT?
· Hotels from €34.00
· Packages from €71.00
· Tickets for events, guided tours etc.
· Advice on all aspects of Bremen
· Easy online booking
Decaffeinated coffee is a Bremen invention. Local merchant Ludwig Roselius developed and patented the process, and in 1906 founded the company now known
as Café HAG. Even today, a large part of the world’s decaffeinated coffee has its
stimulant removed in Bremen.
-tourism.de
www.bremen
Service hotline
+49 (0)421 30 800 10
www.bestofbremen.de
BTZ
BREMER TOURISTIK-ZENTRALE
16 / 17
Food & drink
THE BREMEN BURGER.
A popular alternative to the hamburger in Bremen takes the
form of a bread roll encasing a breadcrumbed filet of fresh
white fish, such as coalfish or hake, and garnished with a mix
of herbs, mustard and fried onions.
VINTAGE BREMEN.
Bremen’s Ratskeller, the cellar of the town hall, is the
world’s largest repository of quality German wines,
holding around 1,200 different varieties. Among them is
the oldest German cask wine, which dates back to 1653.
A section of the cellar is named after the poet Wilhelm
Hauff, who published a wine-themed novella in 1827 entitled ‘The Wine-ghosts of Bremen’.
EAT IN OR TAKE AWAY?
Bremen is the birthplace of the rollo. Savvy fast food
outlet owners first began to sell these pastry rolls –
which are filled with meat, cheese, salad and sauce – in
the 1970s. The rollo is now a regular item on the city’s
fast-food menus alongside the classic doner kebab.
www.bestofbremen.de
guten appetit,
GENTLEMEN!
The Schaffermahl is the world’s oldest annual fraternal banquet. Every year since 1545, the ship owners and captains of
Bremen as well as important politicians and businessmen
have assembled in the Upper Hall of Bremen town hall to enjoy a five-hour feast.
A TASTE OF
FESTIVE BREMEN.
Bremen’s famous Klaben (a stollen cake) first appears
in official records in 1593. Ingredients in this winter favourite include flour, butter, sugar, almonds, rum and
grated lemon rind. In days gone by, families used to
make so much that they were still eating it at Easter.
18 / 19
knowledge!
Experience knowledge!
Experience
Culture & arts
botanika Bremen
Overseas Museum
Universum® Bremen Bremen
NEXT STOP:
OVERSEAS.
The Überseemuseum (‘overseas museum’) at the
main train station is one of Europe’s biggest
and most important museums of natural history and ethnology, with more than 100 years of
tradition and comprehensive exhibitions.
MANY STRINGS TO ITS BOW.
German
Emigrate Museum
Bremerhaven
German
Maritime Museum
Climatehouse®
Bremerhaven 8° East Bremerhaven
Investigate and discover. Bremen and
Bremerhaven have plenty to offer for
people of all ages. There are museums
Zoo by the Sea
Bremerhaven
that provide information in an entertaining way and discovery centres that
are more than just a fun day out.
Learn more at: www.wissenswelten.com
The Schnoor is a medieval quarter in the centre of Bremen.
Winding alleyways and narrow streets retain the ambience
of centuries gone by. This picturesque district takes its name
from the main trade once practised here – the production of
ropes and cables for the shipping industry. Schnoor is the old
Low German word for ‘string’ or ‘rope’.
THEN: DOCKSIDE DRUDGERY,
NOW: BEER GARDEN HEAVEN
The Schlachte embankment is Bremen’s answer to the Rhine river walks in Cologne
and Düsseldorf. This 660-metre promenade is a great place to stroll along the Weser
river, and its beer gardens and bars are particularly popular in summer.
Culture & arts
BREMEN IN BLOOM.
The Rhododendron Park in the Horn-Lehe district of Bremen covers an area of 46 hectares and contains more than 2,500 types of plant.
TOWN MUSICIANS RELOADED.
The German Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra has been based in Bremen since 1992.
It has gained worldwide acclaim in recent years, most notably for its renditions of
the complete Beethoven symphonies.
The Man of Good MANNERS.
The German writer and man of the Enlightenment Adolph Freiherr Knigge (1752-1796)
spent the last years of his life in Bremen. He is buried in St. Petri Cathedral. His book
’On Human Relations’ is still erroneously regarded as a guide to correct behaviour.
But Knigge’s work actually dealt more with sociological aspects than good manners.
ALL THE FUN OF
THE FAIR.
Bremen’s Freimarkt fair first took place
in 1035. It is comparable to the Oktoberfest in Munich and is the biggest fair in
northern Germany. By locals it is affectionately known as the ‘fifth season of
the year’. Every year, the Freimarkt runs
for 17 days in October on the Bürgerweide festival grounds and attracts more
than four million visitors.
NORTH GERMAN
SAMBA.
Europe’s biggest samba carnival parade is an annual highlight in Bremen’s calendar of events. A
week before Shrove Tuesday, Samba dancers from
throughout Germany and its neighbouring countries bring a touch of Brazil to the city’s open-air
stages.
www.bestofbremen.de
Central
Parks.
Locals and visitors are never
too far from nature in downtown Bremen, whether on the
grassy ramparts that protected the city from invaders in the Middle Ages, at the
shores of Lake Werdersee or
along the Osterdeich promenade. All are just a short walk
from the centre.
22 / 23
Culture & arts
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS.
Thanks to its outstanding acoustics, Die Glocke (the bell) enjoys a global reputation as a top-class concert hall. But the venue on Domsheide square in central
Bremen also provides with its art deco auditoriums and foyer a worthy setting
for readings, stand-up comedy and plays.
TRAINING SHIP GERMANY.
This three-masted ship, delivered in 1927, was used as a merchant training
vessel and is Germany’s last intact fully-rigged sailing ship. Its sails are big
enough to cover half a football pitch. The ship is currently moored in Vegesack
in northern Bremen.
BOLD AS BRASS.
The Music Show of the Nations is the biggest indoor brass band concert in Europe, with around 600 people performing
on stage. Since it was first held in 1965,
brass bands and orchestras from over 70
countries have taken part.
ART OUTSIDE.
Every summer, the La Strada international street circus festival transforms
the squares around the Roland statue,
town hall and Bremen Town Musicians
into a huge open-air circus ring. Clowns,
acrobats and dancers from all over the
world show off their talents over one long
weekend.
ART FOR ALL.
In 1973, Bremen became the first city in
Germany to display art in public spaces.
From sculptures and murals to fantastic
projections, there are so many different
surprises in store for the observant visitor in Bremen city centre.
ART
ENCAPSULATED.
‘The Blue Rider’, ‘Monet and Camille’,
‘Paula in Paris’ and, most recently, ‘Edvard
Munch – Mystery Behind The Canvas’ are
all names of past art exhibitions at Kunsthalle Bremen, which was modernised in
2011 and reopened with new wings.
ART
BY THE WATER.
The Weserburg Museum of Modern Art,
found at the western end of the Stadtwerder or Teerhof peninsula, is one of the
biggest museums of contemporary art in
Germany and also Europe’s first collectors’ museum.
www.bestofbremen.de
24 / 25
Culture & arts
coopers’ lane.
Böttcherstrasse is a historical gem in the centre
of Bremen and leads right out onto the market
square. As well as cafés and shops, it is home to
museums, art collections and craft workshops.
RIVERBANK FESTIVAL.
The annual Breminale music and arts festival runs
for five days, either in spring or summer, on the
Osterdeich promenade. At the most recent event,
more than 200,000 people joined in the party.
BREMEN’S
MEMORY BANKS.
For more than 100 years, the Focke Museum has
been busy collecting all manner of enlightening, interesting or downright bizarre items from
the vaults of Bremen’s history. The many exhibitions, packed with family heirlooms and examples
of Bremen crafts, have brought this regional museum for art and cultural history fame throughout Germany.
ONCE UPON A TIME.
The fairytale of the Bremen Town Musicians by the
Brothers Grimm is known around the world, and
has even been performed as a musical in South Korea. It is one of the few fairytales to make reference
to a particular place name, even though the animals never make it to Bremen. And if you visit the
Town Musicians statue by the town hall, don’t forget to rub the legs of the donkey with both hands –
it’s said to bring luck!
26 / 27
Culture & arts
SWEPT OFF HIS FEET.
Don’t be too puzzled if you see a fine young gentleman sweeping up bottle caps on the
steps leading up to St. Petri Cathedral. It’s actually a Bremen tradition for any man
who is still unmarried on his 30th birthday. Only a kiss from a maiden can free the
bachelor from his ignominious work.
HARBOUR WORLDS.
Bremerhaven is in the midst of change. It’s now a modern place for shopping (at the
Mediterraneo centre), expanding your horizons (at the Klimahaus) and getting a lesson in history (at the German Maritime Museum and German Emigration Centre). The
latter has attracted well over one million visitors since it opened in 2005. Those looking for a stylish place to stay should check out the ATLANTIC Hotel SAIL City, which
has dominated the Bremerhaven skyline since 2008 and is modelled on the world-famous Burj al Arab in Dubai.
Living ‘Old
Bremen’ Style.
In many different places in Bremen, you
will come across two-storey or three-storey buildings, often in terraced rows, with
a lower-ground floor – built deep instead
of wide – and high ceilings inside. This
‘Old Bremen’ style of architecture has
been popular in the Hanseatic city and
beyond since the mid-19th century.
ALL THE WORLD’S
A STAGE.
THE HOLE OF
BREMEN.
What at first glance appears to be an ordinary manhole cover is actually a famous landmark. Known as the ‘Hole of
Bremen’, this underground collection
box is set into the pavement on the market square to the left of the State Parliament. The noise of an animal (one of the
Bremen Town Musicians) emanates from
the ground every time a coin is thrown
in. In 2008, more than 13,000 was raised
for charity in this way.
Bremen Theatre on Goetheplatz square
entertains around a quarter of a million
people every year. It received the Opera
House of the Year award in 2007 and one
year later was commended by the ‘Germany – Land of Ideas’ initiative.
28 / 29
Sons & daughters
Robinson Crusoe.
“My father was a foreigner from Bremen, who got a good estate by merchandise ...” is
one of the very first lines of Daniel Defoe’s classic novel ‘Robinson Crusoe’. Who would
have thought it? Robinson Crusoe, a Bremen original. This simple sentence earned
the Hanseatic city a place in world literature, and there is a Robinson Crusoe House
on Böttcherstrasse which regularly hosts exhibitions.
Bernhard
“Bert”
Trautmann.
During the Second World War, a young
Bremen soldier named Bernhard Trautmann was captured by the British and
remained in England after the conflict
ended. Even back then, he loved to play
football. First division club Manchester City signed him as a goalkeeper in
1949. Trautmann’s performances quickly turned him from a wartime enemy to
a fans’ favourite. His finest hour came in
the 1956 FA Cup Final, a game in which
he played on until the very end despite
sustaining five broken vertebrae. ‘Bert’s’
team emerged victorious. In 2004, Queen
Elizabeth II awarded him an honorary
Order of the British Empire for his services to Anglo-German relations.
James Last.
The great German musician James
Last was born as Hans Last in the
Bremen district of Sebaldsbrück.
He rose to global fame in the mid1960s with the help of his 40-strong
orchestra and in 1978 received the
Federal Cross of Merit.
www.
bestof
bremen.
de
Karl Carstens.
This distinguished servant of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union party
was born in Bremen on 14 December 1914. He served as President of the Federal ­Republic of ­Germany, and thus Germany’s head of state, from 1979 to 1984.
Volker Engel.
Boy from Bremerhaven makes it big in Hollywood! In 1997, Volker Engel from
Bremerhaven won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects for the film ‘Independence
Day’. He was ­also responsible for special effects in ‘Godzilla’, ‘Ring of the Nibelungs’ and the end-of-the-world movie ‘2012’ by Roland Emmerich, which was
­released in cinemas in 2009.
30 / 31
Sports & events
Sons & daughters
SiXDAYS.
Bremen’s six-day cycle race, known simply as Sixdays, has higher attendance figures than any comparable event and is the world’s most popular indoor cycling competition. It takes place every year at the beginning of January.
Lale Andersen. Ludwig Quidde.
The song ‘Lili Marleen’ brought LiseLotte Helene Bunnenberg, alias Lale Andersen, worldwide fame in 1939. Born on
23 March 1905 in Bremerhaven-Lehe, she
moved to Berlin at the beginning of the
1930s, getting her big break at the Kabarett der Komiker variety theatre.
Bremen’s Ludwig Quidde was a driving
force in the German peace movement at
the time of the Weimar Republic. In 1927,
he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his
work.
www.bestofbremen.de
THE ORIGINS OF WERDER BREMEN.
In 1899, football still had a long way to go before becoming socially acceptable. So
a group of soccer-mad Bremen schoolboys were forced to pursue their hobby away
from the city on a secluded river peninsula. The Old German word for such a spit of
land is a Werder – so it quickly became clear what the club should be called. And despite the fact that almost every child in Bremen knows about Werder and its stars,
many Germans are themselves unaware of the original meaning of the word.
32 / 33
Sports & events
A SHOE-IN FOR SUCCESS.
In August 1949, the shoemaker Alexander Salot from Bremen-Blumenthal registered a patent for a screw-in stud mechanism for football boots. The Bremen
man came upon the idea a whole three years earlier than the famous Adi Dassler,
whose company Adidas went on to become a huge global player. Football is still
played today in boots with screw-in studs.
WERDER BREMEN,
NEUTRALS’ FAVOURITE.
According to a recent survey, 28 million football fans in Germany find Werder Bremen
to be the league’s most likeable club. There are fan clubs in many other European
countries and even as far afield as Kenya and Hong Kong. Werder has won four German championships and occupies second place in the all-time Bundesliga rankings.
www.bestofbremen.de
LATINO SPIRIT –
MADE IN
BREMEN.
When it comes to dancing, even worldclass competition can’t defeat GreenGold-Club Bremen and TSG Bremerhaven. In 2007, the two dance clubs shared
the world championship in Latin Formation after finishing level on points.
PLAIN SAILING.
Sail Bremerhaven is Europe’s biggest tall
ship regatta. Every five years, the largest sailing ships in the world descend on
the port town at the mouth of the Weser.
34 / 35
Science & research
ZERO GRAVITY
in BREMEN.
The drop tower at Bremen University’s Center for Applied Space Technology and Microgravity is a huge
laboratory in which experiments
are performed in zero gravity conditions.
STIMULATING MINDS.
In 2006, the Jacobs Foundation of Switzerland, owned by the famous coffee brand,
donated 200 million to what is now Jacobs University Bremen. It is still the biggest
private donation ever made to a university in Europe.
A WHALE
OF A BUG.
Professor Heide Schulz-Vogt of the
Max Planck Institute for Marine
­Microbiology in Bremen discovered
the largest known species of bacteria off the coast of Namibia. The micro-organisms reach sizes of up to
0.75 millimetres.
CITY OF
SCIENCE.
In 2005, Bremen and Bremerhaven were jointly named Germany’s
first ‘City of Science’ in recognition
of how they harness the potential of
science and research to bring about
structural change.
AHEAD OF
ITS TIME.
Grey clouds, wind and fog,
drizzly rain – that’s just what
the weather in Bremen is like
sometimes. Which makes it
all the more surprising that
the city has more stationary
sundials than anywhere else
in Germany, around 120 at
the last count.
MOON SAFARI.
In a unique space exploration hall measuring
288 square metres, intelligent robots prepare for
deployment in outer space on an artificial lunar
landscape. Scientists at the German Research
Center for Artificial Intelligence and the Robotics
Innovation Center in Bremen also use the hall to
practice catching satellites using robots, paving
the way for space junk to be dealt with more easily in future.
www.bestofbremen.de
36 / 37
Science & research
Business & commerce
UNKNOWN DEPTHS.
CHAMPIONs
OF COMMERCE
AND SKILLS.
Two thirds of our planet is covered by water. Nevertheless, we know more about the
surface of the moon than we do about the bottom of our oceans. At Bremen University, the Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, or MARUM, uses state-of-the-art
methods to explore the role the oceans play in our lives.
LIFE, THE UNIVERSE
AND EVERYTHING.
Visitors become explorers at Universum Bremen. Whether it’s the cosmos, the laws
of nature or the functioning of our bodies – this is a place to find out how the universe and everything in it works. The Science Center is one of Europe’s most popular
attractions, with more than 1,300 visitors a day, and is one of Germany’s most successful science museums.
Bremen’s Chamber of Commerce (1451)
and Chamber of Skilled Trades (1849) are
the oldest in Germany.
BREMEN GIVES
YOU WINGS.
Airbus employs more than 3,000 people
in Bremen, at its second-largest site in
Germany. Final assembly of the wings
takes place in Bremen and it’s also where
the landing flaps are made.
REACH FOR
THE STARS.
The Space Shop at Bremen Airport is
the only one of its kind outside the USA.
­Locals and visitors alike can buy everything from genuine space suits and astronaut food to fragments of meteorite.
One small step for Bremen, one giant
leap for mankind.
IN AND OUT.
On a normal weekday, around 120,000
people commute into Bremen from the
surrounding region and from Bremerhaven. That’s around 42 per cent of all
workers in the city.
REACHING NEW
HEIGHTS.
Bremen is home to the biggest and most
modern high-bay warehouse in Europe,
which is run by Bremer LagerhausGesellschaft (BLG) on behalf of coffee
firm Tchibo.
BRAND CAPITAL.
Kraft Foods, Hachez, Beck’s, Kellogg’s,
­Vitakraft, Nordsee, Frosta and Univeg
(formerly Atlanta) are among the big
names to have their headquarters in
Bremen or Bremerhaven.
38 / 39
Business & commerce
The quay in Bremerhaven’s Wilhelm Kaisen
container terminal, originally only 700 metres in length when building work begin
in 1968, is now the longest in the world at
around 5,000 metres. It has four berths for
large container ships.
ALL’S FAIR IN
BREMEN.
RUN OF THE
MILL.
Situated right on the quayside in
Bremen’s timber and factory port,
the Roland Mill is the only one in Europe where ships can load and unload directly.
The world is
not enough.
Bremen is a major centre for the aerospace industry, with over 12,000 employees working in more than 100
companies and institutions.
In 2011, Bremen was named Germany’s ‘Fair
Trade Capital’. In the nationwide competition, the city triumphed against 61 other
municipalities thanks to its highly creative
projects. The aim of the initiative is to ensure fair prices are paid to producers in developing countries around the world, guaranteeing them a reliable source of income
for their work.
STAR APPEAL.
More than 12,000 people work at the
Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen-Sebaldsbrück, the second biggest in Germany.
Daimler ­have been making Mercedes-Benz
vehicles here since 1978, including the
C-Class and the GLK, SL and SLK model series.
FORGING SUCCESS.
Many a footballer’s dream is forged at silverware
manufacturers Koch & Bergfeld. This traditional
Bremen company has been making trophies for Europe’s elite football clubs since 1967. As well as the
iconic cup presented to the winners of the Champions League, it makes replica trophies for victors in
the German DFB Cup and the Europa League. Several Formula 1 trophies have also been made in
Bremen-Überseestadt. Despite these prestigious
commissions, the company’s core business is the
manufacture of high-end cutlery.
Der Champions League Pokal
ALWAYS ONE STEP AHEAD.
Auszeichnungen / Medaillen / Pokale 3
Quay to success.
Internationaler Wanderpokal für den besten
europäischen Fußballverein. Bis 1992 als
„Europapokal der Landesmeister” bezeichnet,
wurde der 1955 eingeführte Wettbewerb in
„UEFA Champions League” umbenannt.
Die 62 cm hohe Trophäe wurde vom Bremer
Designer Horst Heeren entworfen und von
Koch & Bergfeld Corpus gefertigt.
Celtic Glasgow gewann 1967 als erste
Mannschaft den neuen Pokal.
Bremen lies within the average range for Germany in many aspects of life, for example age distribution, household size, purchasing power, levels of unemployment and media use. This makes the Hanseatic city an ideal testing ground for
new consumer goods and services. Whether it’s a brand-new chocolate bar or a
modified insurance package, this is where market researchers and advertisers
trial products before rolling them out across Germany.
ST. PAULI
IN BREMEN.
Anyone who’s ever visited Germany will have
heard of the Reeperbahn in Hamburg’s St. Pauli district, whose many erotic temptations have
given it a red-light reputation. St. Pauli Girl is
the most popular imported German beer in the
USA and was first introduced to the market in
1965. But despite the Hamburg name, St. Pauli
Girl is actually brewed in Bremen.
40 / 41
Business & commerce
‘Best of Bremen’ is an initiative of the Junior Chamber Club of Bremen Chamber
of Commerce / www.wj-bremen.de
COTTON City.
Nothing venBremen is the cradle of the cotton trade
tured, nothing in Germany and has been home to the
Bremen Cotton Exchange for almost
gained.
140 years. Merchants began importing
Buten un binnen, wagen un winnen (outside and in – venture and win) is the motto of Bremen’s merchants even today. It
is attributed to the former mayor, Otto Gildemeister (1823-1902), and is inscribed above the entrance to the Schütting. This former merchants’ guildhouse,
situated directly on the market square,
is now the seat of Bremen’s chamber of
commerce.
GETTING EUROPE
ON THE ROAD.
Bremerhaven is Europe’s major hub for
the transhipment of cars; more than two
million vehicles were imported or exported through the port in 2011.
the material into the Hanseatic city in
the early 17th century. Today, it is used
in clothing, pharmaceuticals and even
bank notes.
ROLAND
ON A ROLL.
Bremen’s very own currency, the Roland,
is currently doing the rounds in and
around the city. The notes (one ­Roland is
equivalent to one euro) are accepted by
around 100 companies and service providers. The idea behind the scheme, initiated by Bremen’s association of sustainable businesses, is to ­promote regional trade.
Published by:
DIALOG Public Relations
Altenwall 24
28195 Bremen
Email: [email protected]
www.dialog-pr.com
Print run:
20,000 (1st English edition / 2012)
Idea: Daniel Günther / Thomas Thomsen
Concept and copy:
DIALOG Public Relations
Design and production:
GfG / Gruppe für Gestaltung GmbH
www.gfg-bremen.de
Photo credits: Airport Bremen, BIS
Bremerhaven, Bremer Sportmarketing,
Breminale GmbH, BTZ Bremer TouristikZentrale, EWE AG / Lehmkühler Fotografie,
Flickr (rudimente / stampolina / Thomas
Hawk / ohnasch), Hachez, Handelskammer Bremen (Frank Pusch), Hapag-Lloyd
Kreuzfahrten, Inbev / Beck’s, Jacobs University Bremen, Koch & Bergfeld, Kraft
Foods, Musikfest Bremen, Ullsteinbild,
Universum Bremen, WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen, www.jameslast.com,
ZARM, Zoo am Meer.
Produced with the kind support of WFB
Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen and BTZ
Bremer Touristik-Zentrale.
Information hotline:
Printing: Girzig & Gottschalk
www.girzig.de
Translation: LingServe Ltd.
Tourist information, hotel reservations,
tickets, travel offers and more.
BTZ
BREMER TOURISTIK-ZENTRALE
All text and photos: © The text and pictures within this publication may not be
used for commercial purposes, or reused
in any way whatsoever, without prior
written consent.
www.bestofbremen.de