Bremen#Administrative structure

{{Main|History of Bremen (city)}}

{{for timeline|Timeline of Bremen}}

File:Braun Bremen UBHD.jpg

For most of its 1,200 year history, Bremen was an independent city within the confederal jurisdiction of the Holy Roman Empire. Its governing merchants and guilds were at the centre of the Hanseatic League that sought to monopolise the North Sea and Baltic Sea trade. To enlarge and confirm its independence, the city had, until the Reformation, to contend with the temporal power of the Church, and after the Thirty Years' War with Sweden, the masters of the surrounding Duchy of Bremen-Verden. George 1 Louis, the Elector of Hannover (and from 1714, King of Great Britain and Ireland) who in 1715 acquired Bremen-Verden, recognized Bremen as a free city in 1720. The city was captured in 1806 and then annexed by France in 1810, before it regained independence in 1815.{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Bremen (city)|volume=4|pages=493–494|date=1910|short=1}}

In 1871, Bremen was drawn by Prussia into the German Empire. With its new sea anchorage and wharves at Bremerhaven, it was the principal port of embarkation for German and central European emigrants to the Americas, and an entrepôt for Germany's late developing colonial trade. The Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL), founded in Bremen in 1857, became one of the world's leading shipping companies.

In the twentieth century, Bremen, a broadly liberal and social-democratic city, lost its autonomy under the Hitler regime. During World War II, it was the location of nine subcamps of the Neuengamme concentration camp, mostly for French, Polish, Soviet and Jewish men and Jewish women.{{cite web|url=https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-neuengamme.de/en/history/satellite-camps/satellite-camps/|title=Satellite camps|website=KZ-Gedenkstätte Neuengamme|access-date=8 July 2024}} After the war, in which almost two thirds of the city's fabric was destroyed, the autonomy was restored. Bremen became one of the founding {{lang|de|Bundesländer}} (or states) of the Federal Republic (West Germany).

File:Weserhb2.jpg towards the city centre and cathedral]]

Bremen lies on both sides of the River Weser, about {{convert|60|km|mi|abbr=off}} upstream of its estuary on the North Sea and its transition to the Outer Weser by Bremerhaven. Opposite Bremen's Altstadt is the point where the "Middle Weser" becomes the "Lower Weser" and, from the area of Bremen's port, the river has been made navigable to ocean-going vessels. The region on the left bank of the Lower Weser, through which the Ochtum flows, is the Weser Marshes, the landscape on its right bank is part of the Elbe-Weser Triangle. The Lesum, and its tributaries, the Wümme and Hamme, the Schönebecker Aue and Blumenthaler Aue, are the downstream tributaries of the Weser.

The city's municipal area is about {{convert|38|km|mi|abbr=off}} long and {{convert|16|km|mi|0|abbr=off}} wide. In terms of area, Bremen is the eleventh largest city in Germany; and in terms of population the second largest city in northwest Germany after Hamburg and the eleventh largest in the whole of Germany (see: List of cities in Germany).{{Contradict-inline|date=August 2019}}

Bremen lies about {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=off}} east of the city of Oldenburg, {{convert|110|km|mi|abbr=off}} southwest of Hamburg, {{convert|120|km|mi|abbr=off}} northwest of Hanover, {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=off}} north of Minden and {{convert|105|km|mi|abbr=off}} northeast of Osnabrück. Part of Bremerhaven's port territory forms an exclave of the City of Bremen.

The inner city lies on a Weser dune, which reaches a natural height of 10.5 metres (34 feet, 6 inches) above sea level at Bremen Cathedral; its highest point, though, is 14.4 metres (47 feet, 3 inches) above sea level and lies to the east at the {{lang|de|Polizeihaus}}, Am Wall 196. The highest natural feature in the city of Bremen is 32.5 metres (107 feet) above sea level and lies in Friedehorst Park in the northwestern borough of Burglesum.{{cite web |title=Statistisches Jahrbuch 2016 |url=http://www.statistik.bremen.de/sixcms/media.php/13/Jb2016_pdfa.pdf |access-date=2017-07-04 |publisher=Statistisches Landesamt Bremen |archive-date=2022-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121080223/https://www.statistik.bremen.de/sixcms/media.php/13/Jb2016_pdfa.pdf |url-status=live }}{{rp|25}} As a result, Bremen has the lowest high point of all the German states.100 schräge Fakten über diese Stadt. In: Zitty 16/2012, p. 15.

Bremen has a moderate oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) due to its proximity to the North Sea coast and temperate maritime air masses that move in with the predominantly westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean. However, periods in which continental air masses predominate may occur at any time of the year and can lead to heat waves in the summer and prolonged periods of frost in the winter. In general though, extremes are rare in Bremen and temperatures below {{convert|-15|C|F|1}} and above {{convert|35|C|F|1}} occur only once every couple of years. The record high temperature was {{convert|37.6|C|F|1}} on 9 August 1992, while the official record low temperature was {{convert|-23.6|C|F|1}} on 13 February 1940. On 13 October 2018, Bremen recorded its warmest October day on record with 28.6 °C (83.4 °F).{{cite web |title=Wetterrekorde |publisher=Wetterdienst.de |url=http://www.wetterdienst.de/Klima/Wetterrekorde/Deutschland/Temperatur/Min/ |language=de |access-date=2016-02-10 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092901/http://www.wetterdienst.de/Klima/Wetterrekorde/Deutschland/Temperatur/Min/ |url-status=live }} However, the astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers reported to have measured −27.3 °C on 23 January 1823.-21,8 °Ré reports Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers in a letter to Carl Friedrich Gauss from 6 February 1823, printed in: Carl Friedrich Gauß, Briefwechsel mit H.W.M. Olbers, Georg Olms Verlag, 1860 S. 233 ({{Google Books|drllO1y2tTQC|page=233}}). Being at some distance from the main North Sea, Bremen still has a somewhat wider temperature range than Bremerhaven that is located on the mouth of Weser.

Average temperatures have risen continually over the last decades, leading to a {{convert|0.6|C-change}} rise in the mean annual temperature between 1961–90 and 1981–2010 reference periods. As in most parts of Germany, the year 2014 has been the warmest year on record averaging {{convert|11.1|C|F|1}}, making Bremen the second-warmest German state after Berlin in 2014.{{cite web |title=Wetter und Klima im Überblick |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |url=http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=dwdwww_menu2_presse&_nfls=false |language=de |access-date=2015-01-10 |archive-date=2015-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826000938/http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=dwdwww_menu2_presse&_nfls=false |url-status=live }} While Bremen is located in the comparatively cloudy northwestern part of Germany, there has been a significant increase in average sunshine hours over the last decades, especially in the months of April, May, and July, causing the annual mean to rise by 121 hours between the reference periods of 1961–90 and 1991–2020.{{cite web |title=Wetter und Klima im Überblick |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |url=http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=_dwdwww_klima_umwelt_klimadaten_deutschland&T82002gsbDocumentPath=Navigation%2FOeffentlichkeit%2FKlima__Umwelt%2FKlimadaten%2Fkldaten__kostenfrei%2Fkldat__D__mittelwerte__node.html%3F__nnn%3Dtrue |language=de |access-date=2015-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923221615/http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=_dwdwww_klima_umwelt_klimadaten_deutschland&T82002gsbDocumentPath=Navigation%2FOeffentlichkeit%2FKlima__Umwelt%2FKlimadaten%2Fkldaten__kostenfrei%2Fkldat__D__mittelwerte__node.html%3F__nnn%3Dtrue |archive-date=2015-09-23 |url-status=dead}} This trend has continued over the last 10 years (2011–2020), which average 1680 hours of sunshine, almost 200 hours more than in the international reference period of 1961–90.{{cite web |title=Datenbankabfrage ausgewählter DWD Stationen Deutschlands |url=http://sklima.de/datenbank.php |publisher=SKlima |language=de |access-date=2016-02-10 |archive-date=2016-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131173132/http://sklima.de/datenbank.php |url-status=live }} Nevertheless, especially the winters remain extremely gloomy by international standards with December averaging hardly more than one hour of sunshine (out of 7 astronomically possible) per day, a feature that Bremen shares with most of Germany and its neighbouring countries, though.

Precipitation is distributed fairly even around the year with a small peak in summer mainly due to convective precipitation, i.e. showers and thunderstorms. Snowfall and the period of snow cover are variable; whereas in some years, hardly any snow accumulation occurs, there has recently been a series of unusually snowy winters, peaking in the record year 2010 counting 84 days with a snow cover.{{cite web |title=Wetter im Rückblick |url=http://www.wetteronline.de/wetterdaten/bremen?pcid=pc_rueckblick_data&gid=10224&pid=p_rueckblick_diagram&sid=StationHistory&iid=10224¶id=SNLD&period=52&month=12&year=2010 |publisher=wetteronline |language=de |access-date=2016-02-10 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304181505/http://www.wetteronline.de/wetterdaten/bremen?pcid=pc_rueckblick_data&gid=10224&pid=p_rueckblick_diagram&sid=StationHistory&iid=10224¶id=SNLD&period=52&month=12&year=2010 |url-status=live }} Nevertheless, snow accumulation of more than 20 centimetres (8 in) remains exceptional, the record being {{convert|68|cm|in|1}} of snow on 18 February 1979.

The warmest months in Bremen are June, July, and August, with average high temperatures of {{convert|20.2|to|22.6|C|F|1}}. The coldest are December, January, and February, with average low temperatures of {{convert|-1.1|to|0.3|C|F|1}}. Typical of its maritime location, autumn tends to remain mild well into October, while spring arrives later than in the southwestern parts of the country.

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| location = Bremen (1991–2020 normals)

| metric first = Y

| single line = Y

| Jan record high C = 14.6

| Feb record high C = 18.5

| Mar record high C = 23.5

| Apr record high C = 30.2

| May record high C = 34.4

| Jun record high C = 34.9

| Jul record high C = 36.8

| Aug record high C = 37.6

| Sep record high C = 33.4

| Oct record high C = 28.6

| Nov record high C = 20.1

| Dec record high C = 16.1

| year record high C = 37.6

| Jan avg record high C = 11.3

| Feb avg record high C = 12.3

| Mar avg record high C = 17.2

| Apr avg record high C = 22.4

| May avg record high C = 26.4

| Jun avg record high C = 29.8

| Jul avg record high C = 31.4

| Aug avg record high C = 31.5

| Sep avg record high C = 25.9

| Oct avg record high C = 20.5

| Nov avg record high C = 15.6

| Dec avg record high C = 11.9

| year avg record high C = 33.4

| Jan high C = 4.6

| Feb high C = 5.6

| Mar high C = 9.3

| Apr high C = 14.5

| May high C = 18.3

| Jun high C = 21.3

| Jul high C = 23.6

| Aug high C = 23.3

| Sep high C = 19.3

| Oct high C = 14.0

| Nov high C = 8.6

| Dec high C = 5.4

| year high C = 14.0

| Jan mean C = 2.2

| Feb mean C = 2.6

| Mar mean C = 5.2

| Apr mean C = 9.4

| May mean C = 13.2

| Jun mean C = 16.2

| Jul mean C = 18.4

| Aug mean C = 18.0

| Sep mean C = 14.3

| Oct mean C = 10.0

| Nov mean C = 5.8

| Dec mean C = 3.1

| year mean C = 9.9

| Jan low C = -0.5

| Feb low C = -0.5

| Mar low C = 1.1

| Apr low C = 3.9

| May low C = 7.5

| Jun low C = 10.5

| Jul low C = 12.9

| Aug low C = 12.6

| Sep low C = 9.6

| Oct low C = 6.0

| Nov low C = 2.8

| Dec low C = 0.5

| year low C = 5.5

| Jan avg record low C = -8.8

| Feb avg record low C = -7.9

| Mar avg record low C = -5.1

| Apr avg record low C = -2.8

| May avg record low C = 0.5

| Jun avg record low C = 4.8

| Jul avg record low C = 7.6

| Aug avg record low C = 7.0

| Sep avg record low C = 3.4

| Oct avg record low C = -0.9

| Nov avg record low C = -4.3

| Dec avg record low C = -7.5

| year avg record low C = -11.4

| Jan record low C = -21.8

| Feb record low C = -23.6

| Mar record low C = -18.7

| Apr record low C = -7.6

| May record low C = -3.5

| Jun record low C = 0.5

| Jul record low C = 3.0

| Aug record low C = 3.4

| Sep record low C = -1.2

| Oct record low C = -7.8

| Nov record low C = -14.1

| Dec record low C = -17.5

| year record low C = -23.6

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 58.4

| Feb precipitation mm = 43.6

| Mar precipitation mm = 45.6

| Apr precipitation mm = 39.5

| May precipitation mm = 49.8

| Jun precipitation mm = 62.3

| Jul precipitation mm = 75.3

| Aug precipitation mm = 69.3

| Sep precipitation mm = 58.3

| Oct precipitation mm = 57.1

| Nov precipitation mm = 51.2

| Dec precipitation mm = 59.9

| year precipitation mm = 670.3

| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 18.1

| Feb precipitation days = 15.0

| Mar precipitation days = 15.1

| Apr precipitation days = 12.8

| May precipitation days = 13.9

| Jun precipitation days = 14.5

| Jul precipitation days = 15.5

| Aug precipitation days = 15.5

| Sep precipitation days = 13.9

| Oct precipitation days = 15.8

| Nov precipitation days = 17.0

| Dec precipitation days = 18.2

| year precipitation days = 185.4

| Jan sun = 47.8

| Feb sun = 69.8

| Mar sun = 120.4

| Apr sun = 182.0

| May sun = 213.2

| Jun sun = 204.8

| Jul sun = 213.5

| Aug sun = 198.0

| Sep sun = 151.2

| Oct sun = 109.8

| Nov sun = 53.3

| Dec sun = 40.2

| year sun = 1604

| Jan humidity = 86.9

| Feb humidity = 83.7

| Mar humidity = 78.9

| Apr humidity = 72.4

| May humidity = 71.5

| Jun humidity = 73.0

| Jul humidity = 73.4

| Aug humidity = 75.2

| Sep humidity = 80.4

| Oct humidity = 85.0

| Nov humidity = 88.5

| Dec humidity = 88.7

| year humidity = 79.8

| unit snow days = 1.0 cm

| Jan snow days = 1.4

| Feb snow days = 1.2

| Mar snow days = 0.5

| Apr snow days = 0

| May snow days = 0

| Jun snow days = 0

| Jul snow days = 0

| Aug snow days = 0

| Sep snow days = 0

| Oct snow days = 0

| Nov snow days = 0.2

| Dec snow days = 0.9

| year snow days = 1.6

| source 1 = NOAA{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230916124749/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Bremen_10224.csv |archive-date=16 September 2023 |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Bremen_10224.csv |title=Bremen Climate Normals 1991–2020 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=16 September 2023}}

| source 2 = [http://worldweather.wmo.int/016/c01342.htm DWD]; [http://wetterkontor.de/de/klima/klima2.asp?land=de&stat=10224 wetterkontor.de];{{cite web |url=http://www.vorhersagezentrale.de/Artikel/dekaden_jan.htm |title=Dekaden – Rekorde der DWD – Stationen – Wetterwerte – Deutschland |publisher=Vorhersagezentrale.de |date= |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=2022-03-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331131542/http://www.vorhersagezentrale.de/Artikel/dekaden_jan.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/generator/DWDWWW/Content/Oeffentlichkeit/KU/KU2/KU21/klimadaten/german/sonne__8110__fest__html,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.html/sonne_8110_fest_html.html |title=Sonnenscheindauer: langjährige Mittelwerte 1981 - 2010|website=www.dwd.de |access-date=26 January 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141018194817/http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/generator/DWDWWW/Content/Oeffentlichkeit/KU/KU2/KU21/klimadaten/german/sonne__8110__fest__html,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.html/sonne_8110_fest_html.html |archive-date=18 October 2014 |url-status=dead}} Infoclimat{{cite web|url=https://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie/annee/1991/bremen-breme/valeurs/10224.html|title=Climatologie de l'année à Bremen (Brême)|publisher=Infoclimat|language=fr|access-date=20 October 2023}}

| source =

}}

{{historical populations

|1350|10000

|1650|25000

|1811|36630

|1852|57055

|1864|70692

|1871|82969

|1890|125684

|1900|161184

|1910|247437

|1919|

|1925|295585

|1933|324189

|1939|431800

|1945|366427

|1951|463049

|1961|569862

|1971|594591

|1981|553261

|1991|551219|2001|540950|2011|542707|2022|575071|footnote=Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.}}

Bremen's economy boomed in line with the West German {{lang|de|Wirtschaftswunder}} of the 1950s and 60s. This saw the growth, and permanent settlement, of a large migrant worker population, drawn largely from Turkey and southern Europe. A new wave immigration occurred after the turn of new century, following the entry of Poland, Bulgaria and other former East Bloc countries into the European Union, and after 2015 with the settlement of refugees from Syria and other war-torn regions. Today Bremen has a population of 567,000 and is the 11th largest city in Germany and 5th largest city by area with area of {{cvt|318.21|km2|sqmi}}, which makes this city area bigger than Munich.

By the second decade of the century out of a population (including Bremerhaven) of approximately 680,000, over 115,000 had foreign citizenship,{{cite web |title=Demographic statisticsRegion BREMEN, population density, population, average age, families, foreigners |url=https://ugeo.urbistat.com/AdminStat/en/de/demografia/dati-sintesi/bremen/4/2 |access-date=2021-05-19 |website=ugeo.urbistat.com |archive-date=2021-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519124443/https://ugeo.urbistat.com/AdminStat/en/de/demografia/dati-sintesi/bremen/4/2 |url-status=live }} and nearly twice that number, almost a third of the total population, could be classified as having non-German origin/ethnicity.[http://www.bpb.de/nachschlagen/zahlen-und-fakten/soziale-situation-in-deutschland/61646/migrationshintergrund-i "Bevölkerung mit Migrationshintergrund I"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519234001/https://www.bpb.de/nachschlagen/zahlen-und-fakten/soziale-situation-in-deutschland/61646/migrationshintergrund-i |date=2019-05-19 }}, (German). Retrieved 16 May 2019.

Number of minorities in Bremen by nationality as of 31 December 2024:{{cite web |title=Wie sich die ausländischen Communitys in Bremen entwickelt haben |url=https://www.butenunbinnen.de/nachrichten/auslaender-communitys-entwicklung-bremen-100.html |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=Buten un Binnen |language=de }}

The recent influx has somewhat moderated the tendency toward an accelerated ageing of the population. As it is, more than half the population of the state of Bremen are over 50, and more than a quarter are over 60.{{cite web |title=Bevölkerung in Bremen nach Altersgruppen |url=https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1095807/umfrage/bevoelkerung-bremen-nach-altersgruppen/ |access-date=2021-05-19 |website=Statista |language=de |archive-date=2021-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519130031/https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1095807/umfrage/bevoelkerung-bremen-nach-altersgruppen/ |url-status=live }}

The {{lang|de|Stadtbürgerschaft}} (municipal assembly) is currently made up of 72 of the 87 legislators of the state legislature, the {{lang|de|Bremische Bürgerschaft}} who reside in the city of Bremen. The legislature is elected by the citizens of Bremen every four years.

Bremen has a reputation as a left-wing city. The port, shipyards and related industries sustained a large and unionised working class. This translated into support for the Social Democrats, considered Bremen's natural governing party. However, in the 1980s mechanization of the port and closure of the city's leading shipbuilder induced an employment crisis and shook the confidence of the party's traditional voter base. The SPD, which had still polled 51% in 1987, lost its effective majority. The once dominant left-liberal vote split, and coalition government became the norm.{{Cite book |title=The Regions of Germany: A Reference Guide to History and Culture |url=https://archive.org/details/regionsofgermany0000buse |url-access=registration |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |date=2005-01-01 |isbn=978-0-313-32400-0 |first=Dieter K. |last=Buse}} The state today is governed by a coalition of the Social Democratic Party, The Greens and The Left.

In November 2019 the right-wing group Phalanx 18 was banned by the city-state of Bremen.{{cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/en/bremen-bans-right-wing-group-phalanx-18/a-51331231 |title=Bremen bans right-wing group Phalanx 18 | DW | 20.11.2019 |website=Deutsche Welle |access-date=2021-09-18 |archive-date=2021-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918102215/https://www.dw.com/en/bremen-bans-right-wing-group-phalanx-18/a-51331231 |url-status=live }}

One of the two mayors ({{lang|de|Bürgermeister}}) is elected President of the Senate ({{lang|de|Präsident des Senats}}) and serves as head of the city and the state. The current mayor is Andreas Bovenschulte.{{cite news |title=Bovenschulte zu Bremens Bürgermeister gewählt |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/bremen-andreas-bovenschulte-zum-buergermeister-gewaehlt-a-1282078.html |website=Der Spiegel |date=15 August 2019 |access-date=2 March 2021 |archive-date=15 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015213513/https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/bremen-andreas-bovenschulte-zum-buergermeister-gewaehlt-a-1282078.html |url-status=live }}

{{Main|2023 Bremen state election}}

File:Weserhb2.jpg

File:Bremen Schlachte von Teerhofbrücke.jpg

File:BaumwollboerseBremen-1.jpg

File:HB 2016-0607 photo24 Park-Hotel.jpg (central park)|thumb]]

• Many of the sights in Bremen are found in the Altstadt (Old Town), an oval area surrounded by the Weser River, on the southwest, and the {{lang|de|Wallgraben}}, the former moats of the medieval city walls, on the northeast. The oldest part of the Altstadt is the southeast half, starting with the {{lang|de|Marktplatz}} and ending at the Schnoor quarter.
• The {{lang|de|Marktplatz}} (Market square) is dominated by the opulent façade of the Town Hall of Bremen. The building was erected between 1405 and 1410 in Gothic style, but the façade was built two centuries later (1609–12) in Renaissance style. The Town Hall is the seat of the president of the Senate of Bremen. Today, it hosts a restaurant in original decor with gigantic wine barrels, the Ratskeller in Bremen. In July 2004, along with the Bremen Roland, the building was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• Two statues stand to the west side of the Town Hall: one is the statue Bremen Roland (1404) of the city's protector, Roland, with his view against the Cathedral and bearing Durendart, the "sword of justice" and a shield decorated with an imperial eagle. The other near the entrance to the {{lang|de|Ratskeller}} is Gerhard Marcks' bronze sculpture (1953) {{lang|de|Die Stadtmusikanten}} (Town Musicians), which portrays the donkey, dog, cat and rooster of the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale.
• Other interesting buildings in the vicinity of the Marktplatz are the {{lang|de|Schütting}}, a sixteenth-century Flemish-inspired guild hall, Rathscafé, Raths-Apotheke, Haus der Stadtsparkasse and the {{lang|de|Stadtwaage}}, the former weigh house (built in 1588), with an ornate Renaissance façade, and the nearby Essighaus, once a fine Renaissance town house. The façades and houses surrounding the market square were the first buildings in Bremen to be restored after World War II, by the citizens of Bremen themselves.
• St Peter's Cathedral (13th century), to the east of the Marktplatz, with sculptures of Moses and David, Peter and Paul and Charlemagne. The Bismarck Monument is also outside the cathedral, which is the only monument in Germany to depict Otto von Bismarck in an equestrian format.
• On Katherinenklosterhof to the northwest of the cathedral, a few remaining traces can be found of St Catherine's Monastery dating back to the thirteenth century.
• The {{lang|de|Liebfrauenkirche}} (Our Lady's Church) is the oldest church of the town (11th century). Its crypt features several impressive murals from the fourteenth century.
• Off the south side of the Markplatz, the {{cvt|110|m|yd}} {{lang|de|Böttcherstraße}} was transformed in 1923–1931 by the coffee magnate Ludwig Roselius, who commissioned local artists to convert the narrow street (in medieval times, the street of the barrel makers) into an inspired mixture of Gothic and Art Nouveau. It was considered "{{lang|de|entartete Kunst}}" (degenerate art) by the Nazis. Today, the street is one of Bremen's most popular attractions, with the Glockenspiel House at No. 4 with its carillon of Meissen porcelain bells.{{cite web |url=http://www.boettcherstrasse.de/index.php?page=/94&aid=&lang_id=2 |title=Böttcherstraße: Welcome |publisher=Böttcherstraße GmbH |access-date=27 January 2014 |archive-date=11 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111191833/http://www.boettcherstrasse.de/index.php?page=/94&aid=&lang_id=2 |url-status=live }}
• At the end of Böttcherstraße, by the Weser bank, stands the {{lang|de|Martinikirche}} (St Martin's Church), a Gothic brick church built in 1229, and rebuilt in 1960 after its destruction in World War II.{{cite web |url=http://www.bremen-tourism.de/563453ec-a72a-185c-32ec-68aafd057bdb |title=St. Martin's Church |publisher=Bremen-tourism.de |access-date=14 January 2014 |archive-date=15 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115091231/http://www.bremen-tourism.de/563453ec-a72a-185c-32ec-68aafd057bdb |url-status=dead}}
• Tucked away between the Cathedral and the river is the {{lang|de|Schnoor}}, a small, well-preserved area of crooked lanes, fishermen's and shipper's houses from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, now occupied by cafés, artisan shops and art galleries. The Convent of Saint Birgitta ({{lang|de|Birgittenkloster}}) founded in 2002 is a small community of just seven nuns offering guest accommodation.{{cite web |url=http://www.kgv-bremen.de/gemeinschaften/ordensleute-gemeinschaften/birgittenkloster.html |title=Birgittenkloster |publisher=Katholischer Gemeindeverband in Bremen |access-date=7 January 2014 |language=de |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107174825/http://www.kgv-bremen.de/gemeinschaften/ordensleute-gemeinschaften/birgittenkloster.html |archive-date=7 January 2014}}
• Schlachte, the medieval harbour of Bremen (the modern port is some kilometres downstream) is today a riverside boulevard with pubs and bars aligned on one side and the banks of Weser on the other.{{cite web |url=http://www.bremen-tourism.de/schlachte-embankment-bremen |title=Schlachte Embankment |publisher=bremen-tourism.de |access-date=5 January 2014 |archive-date=6 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106190539/http://www.bremen-tourism.de/schlachte-embankment-bremen |url-status=live }}
• The Viertel district to the east of the old town combines rows of nineteenth-century Bremen houses ({{lang|de|Bremer Häuser}}) with museums and the theatres of Theater Bremen along the city's cultural mile ({{ill|Kulturmeile (Bremen)|de}}).{{cite web |url=http://dasviertel.de/igv/das-viertel |title=Das Viertel |publisher=dasviertel.de |access-date=20 January 2014 |language=de |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530010209/http://dasviertel.de/igv/das-viertel |archive-date=May 30, 2013}}
• Knoops Park which is one of the larger green spaces in the city that many locals love to visit especially when the weather is warmer. There is also an option to rent small rowboats in the middle of the park.
• The {{lang|de|Nasir Moschee}} is the first purpose built mosque of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Bremen.{{cite web |url=http://www.ahmadiyya.de/gebetsstaette/moscheen/stuhr-brinkum/ |title=Nasir Moschee in Stuhr-Brinkum |access-date=June 10, 2014 |archive-date=July 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715142910/http://www.ahmadiyya.de/gebetsstaette/moscheen/stuhr-brinkum/ |url-status=live }}

More contemporary tourist attractions include:

• Universum Science Center, a modern science museum
• The Rhododendron-Park Bremen, a major collection of rhododendrons and azaleas; also includes a botanical garden
• Botanika, a nature museum within the Rhododendron-Park Bremen that attempts be to the same as the Universum, but for biology
• Beck's Brewery, tours are available to the public which include beer tasting
• The Kunsthalle Bremen, an art museum with paintings from the nineteenth and twentieth century, maintained by the citizens of Bremen
• Focke Museum,{{cite web |url=http://www.focke-museum.de/ |title=Focke Museum |access-date=2009-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517110830/http://focke-museum.de/ |archive-date=2014-05-17 |url-status=dead}} museum of art and cultural history
• The Übersee Museum Bremen (Overseas (World) Museum) is a natural history and ethnographic museum near by the Central Station Bremen.
• The {{lang|de|Kunstsammlungen Böttcherstraße}}, an art museum in expressionist architecture from Bernhard Hoetger with paintings from the twentieth century from Paula Modersohn-Becker
• The Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst ("Weserburg Modern Art Museum"), a modern art museum located in the middle of the Weser River{{cite web |url=http://www.weserburg.de/ |title=Weserburg: Weserburg |work=weserburg.de |access-date=2011-07-18 |archive-date=2011-07-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719114446/http://www.weserburg.de/ |url-status=live }}

File:Bremen fallturm2.jpg}} (Drop Tower) of the University of Bremen]]

• Mediumwave transmitter Bremen
• Fallturm Bremen
• Bremen-Walle Telecommunication Tower

The {{lang|de|Freie Waldorfschule}} in Bremen-Sebaldsbrück was Germany's first school built to the {{lang|de|Passivhaus}} low-energy building standard.{{cite web |author=Wolfgang Feist |date=2007-05-27 |url=http://www.passivhaustagung.de/Passivhaus_D/passivhaus_schulen.html |title=Passivhaus-Schulgebäude |language=de |trans-title=Passive house school building |publisher=Passive House Institute |access-date=2007-05-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827185238/http://www.passivhaustagung.de/Passivhaus_D/passivhaus_schulen.html |archive-date=2007-08-27}}

According to data from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, Bremen had a GDP per capita of $53,379 in 2013, higher than the average for Germany as a whole. For comparison, in 2013, the World Bank reported Germany had a GDP per capita of $46,268, and the EU overall had a GDP per capita of $35,408 in the same year.{{cite web |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/countries/EU-DE?display=graph |title=GDP per capita (current US$) – Data |work=worldbank.org |access-date=2016-05-11 |archive-date=2016-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513031640/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/countries/EU-DE?display=graph |url-status=live }}

Bremen is the second development centre of the region, after Hamburg. It forms part of the production network of Airbus SAS and this is where equipping of the wing units for all widebody Airbus aircraft and the manufacture of small sheet metal parts takes place. Structural assembly, including that of metal landing flaps, is another focal point. Within the framework of Airbus A380 production, assembly of the landing flaps (high lift systems) is carried out here. The pre-final assembly of the fuselage section (excluding the cockpit) of the A400M military transport aircraft takes place before delivery on to Spain.{{cite web |url=http://www.eads.com/1024/en/eads/locations_extern/locations/europe/germany/bremen.html |title=EADS in Germany |publisher=Eads.com}}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

File:MZH-Winkel.jpg

More than 3,100 persons are employed at Airbus Bremen, the second largest Airbus site in Germany. As part of the Centre of Excellence – Wing/Pylon, Bremen is responsible for the design and manufacture of high-lift systems for the wings of Airbus aircraft. The entire process chain for the high-lift elements is established here, including the project office, technology engineering, flight physics, system engineering, structure development, verification tests, structural assembly, wing equipping and ultimate delivery to the final assembly line. In addition, Bremen manufactures sheet metal parts like clips and thrust crests for all Airbus aircraft as part of the Centre of Excellence – Fuselage and Cabin.{{cite web |url=http://stagev4.airbus.com/en/worldwide/airbus_in_germany.html |title=Airbus in Germany |publisher=Airbus.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116111534/http://stagev4.airbus.com/en/worldwide/airbus_in_germany.html |archive-date=2010-01-16}}

In Bremen there is a plant of EADS Astrium and the headquarters of OHB-System, respectively the first and the third space companies of European Union.

There is also a Mercedes-Benz factory in Bremen, building the C, CLK, SL, SLK, and GLK series of cars.{{cite web |url=http://www.daimler.com/dccom/0-5-1037145-1-36807-1-0-0-0-0-0-12075-7145-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.html |title=Mercedes-Benz Bremen Plant |publisher=www.daimler.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414012141/http://www.daimler.com/dccom/0-5-1037145-1-36807-1-0-0-0-0-0-12075-7145-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.html |archive-date=April 14, 2010}}

Beck & Co's headlining brew Beck's and St Pauli Girl beers are brewed in Bremen. In past centuries when Bremen's port was the "key to Europe", the city also had a large number of wine importers, but the number is down to a precious few. Apart from that there is another link between Bremen and wine: about 800 years ago, quality wines were produced here. Bremen is not the place where the largest wine cellar in the world is located although it was once said to hold over 1 million bottles, but during WWII was raided by occupying forces.

A large number of food producing or trading companies are located in Bremen with their German or European headquarters: Anheuser-Busch InBev (Beck's Brewery), Kellogg's, Kraft Foods (Kraft, Jacobs Coffee, Milka Chocolate, Milram, Miràcoli), Frosta (frosted food), Nordsee (chain of sea fast food), Melitta Kaffee, Eduscho Kaffee, Azul Kaffee, Vitakraft (pet articles and food for cats, dogs, birds, fish, rodents and other pets), Atlanta AG (Chiquita banana), chocolatier Hachez (fine chocolate and confiserie), feodora chocolatier.

Bremer Woll-Kämmerei (BWK), a worldwide operating company for manufacturing wool and trading in wool and similar products, is headquartered in Bremen. Gleistein is a German cordage factory with head office in Bremen.

File:Bremen Hbf pano.jpg]]

File:Netzplan Regio-S-Bahn Bremen 2022.svg

Bremen has an international airport situated {{cvt|3|km|0}} south of the city centre.

Trams in Bremen and local bus services are offered by the Bremer Straßenbahn AG (translates from German as Bremen Tramways Corporation), often abbreviated BSAG, the public transport provider for Bremen.{{cite web |url=http://www.bsag.de/ |title=BSAG Public transportation in Bremen |language=de |publisher=bsag.de |access-date=2010-01-25 |archive-date=2008-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220113133/http://www.bsag.de/eng/index.php |url-status=live }}

The Bremen S-Bahn covers the Bremen/Oldenburg Metropolitan Region, from Bremerhaven in the north to Twistringen in the south and from Oldenburg in the west, centred on Bremen Central Station. It has been in operation since 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.radiobremen.de/nachrichten/verkehr/verkehrbremensbahn100.html |title=Regio-S-Bahn in Bremen gestartet |date=12 December 2010 |language=de |trans-title=Regio-S-Bahn in Bremen started |publisher=Radio Bremen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214002305/http://www.radiobremen.de/nachrichten/verkehr/verkehrbremensbahn100.html |archive-date=December 14, 2010}} This network unified existing regional transport in Bremen as well as surrounding cities, including Bremerhaven, Delmenhorst, Twistringen, Nordenham, Oldenburg, and Verden an der Aller. The network lies completely within the area of the Bremen-Lower Saxony Transport Association, whose tariff structure applies.

• On August 8, 1992, in Weserstadion, Michael Jackson performed a show as part of his Dangerous World Tour. It was one of his three shows in Bremen and on his next and last tour he kicked off the HIStory World Tour in Bremen.
• Every year since 1036, in the last two weeks of October, Bremen has hosted the Freimarkt ("Free market"), one of the world's oldest and in Germany one of today's biggest continuously celebrated fairground festivals.
• Bremen is host to one of the four big annual Techno parades, the Vision Parade.
• Bremen is also host of the "Bremer 6 Tage Rennen" a bicycle race at the Bremen Arena.
• Every year the city plays host to young musicians from across the world, playing in the International Youth Symphony Orchestra of Bremen (IYSOB).
• On March 12, 1999, the rock band Kiss played a live show in Bremen. Before the show, they were told by the fire marshall not to use any fireworks. They did not use any fireworks until the very end, when they set off all of the fireworks at once. Because of this, they are now banned from playing in Bremen.
• Bremen was host to the 2006 RoboCup competition.
• Bremen was host to the 32nd Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag, 20–24 May 2009.
• Bremen hosted the 50th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) from 10–22 July 2009.{{cite web |url=http://www.imo2009.de/imo/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1&lang=en |title=Message of Greeting |publisher=Imo2009.de |access-date=2009-06-18 |archive-date=2009-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090721195215/http://www.imo2009.de/imo/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1&lang=en |url-status=live }}
• The Rolling Stones named a Live Album "Bridges to Bremen", which was recorded 1998 in Bremen.{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rolling-stones-bridges-to-bremen-concert-film-live-album-818282/|title=Rolling Stones Announce 'Bridges To Bremen' Concert Film, Highlighting 1998 Gig|date=5 April 2019 |publisher=Rolling Stone|access-date=12 June 2024}}

File:2012-08-08-fotoflug-bremen zweiter flug 0434.JPG

Bremen is home to the football team Werder Bremen, who won the German Football Championship for the fourth time and the German Football Cup for the fifth time in 2004, making them only the fourth team in German football history to win the double; the club won the German Football Cup for the sixth time in 2009. The home stadium of SV Werder Bremen is the Weserstadion, a pure football stadium, almost completely surrounded by solar cells. It is one of the biggest buildings in Europe delivering renewable energy.

With 18,000 students,{{cite web |url=http://www.uni-bremen.de/universitaet/die-uni-im-ueberblick/zahlen-fakten.html |title=Zahlen und Fakten zur Universität |language=de |publisher=University of Bremen |access-date=2011-10-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020124127/http://www.uni-bremen.de/universitaet/die-uni-im-ueberblick/zahlen-fakten.html |archive-date=2011-10-20}} the University of Bremen is the largest university in Bremen, and is also home to the international Goethe-Institut and the Fallturm Bremen. Additionally, Bremen has a University of the Arts and the Bremen University of Applied Sciences. In 2001, the private Jacobs University Bremen was founded. All major German research foundations maintain institutes in Bremen, with a focus on marine sciences: The Max Planck Society with the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, and the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community with the Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (zmt).{{Cite web |url=http://www.zmt-bremen.de/en/zmt.html |title=Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (zmt) |access-date=2011-10-16 |archive-date=2011-10-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027032750/http://www.zmt-bremen.de/en/zmt.html |url-status=dead}} The Bremerhaven-based Alfred-Wegener-Institute of the Helmholtz Association closely cooperates with the aforementioned institutes, especially within the MARUM{{Cite web |url=http://www.marum.de/en/index.html |title=MARUM |access-date=2011-10-16 |archive-date=2022-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422043938/http://www.marum.de/en/index.html |url-status=live }} a center for marine environmental sciences, affiliated to the University of Bremen. Furthermore, The Fraunhofer Society is present in Bremen with centers for applied material research (IFAM{{Cite web |url=http://www.ifam.fraunhofer.de/en.html |title=IFAM |access-date=2016-04-11 |archive-date=2016-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417185857/http://www.ifam.fraunhofer.de/en.html |url-status=live }}) and medical image computing (MEVIS{{Cite web |url=http://www.mevis.fraunhofer.de/ |title=MEVIS |access-date=2016-02-10 |archive-date=2016-02-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205055750/http://www.mevis.fraunhofer.de/ |url-status=live }}).

The Centre for Economics Education in the Unterwesergebiet (BWU) is a vocational education and training institution based in Bremen. It specializes in providing business-related education and professional development programs for individuals and businesses.{{Cite web |url=https://bwu-bremen.de/ueber-uns/ |title=Ueber Uns |access-date=2024-11-15 }}

• In December 1949, Bremen hosted the lecture cycle {{lang|de|Einblick in das, was ist}} by the philosopher Martin Heidegger, in which Heidegger introduced his concept of a "fourfold" of earth and sky, gods and mortals. This was also Heidegger's first public-speaking engagement following his removal from his Freiburg professorship by the Denazification authorities.
• Bremen is connected with a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, the Town Musicians of Bremen, although they never actually reach Bremen in the tale.
• The 1922 film {{lang|de|Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens}} was set mostly in Bremen.
• In July 2022, Yorushika released a song titled Bremen.

{{main|List of people from Bremen|List of mayors of Bremen}}

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}

Bremen is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Städtepartnerschaften / Internationale Beziehungen |url=https://www.rathaus.bremen.de/staedtepartnerschaften___internationale_beziehungen-2259 |website=bremen.de |publisher=Bremen |language=de |access-date=2021-02-10 |archive-date=2021-04-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416034216/https://www.rathaus.bremen.de/staedtepartnerschaften___internationale_beziehungen-2259 |url-status=live }}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• {{flagicon|POL}} Gdańsk, Poland (1976)
• {{flagicon|LVA}} Riga, Latvia (1985)
• {{flagicon|CHN}} Dalian, China (1985)
• {{flagicon|GER}} Rostock, Germany (1987)
• {{flagicon|ISR}} Haifa, Israel (1988)
• {{flagicon|SVK}} Bratislava, Slovakia (1989)
• {{flagicon|NIC}} Corinto, Nicaragua (1989)
• {{flagicon|TUR}} İzmir, Turkey (1995)
• {{flagicon|RSA}} Durban, South Africa (2011)
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Odesa, Ukraine (2023)

{{div col end}}

{{Portal|Germany}}

• List of mayors of Bremen

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{notelist}}

{{See also|Timeline of Bremen#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Bremen}}

• {{cite book |author=Tristam Carrington-Windo, Katrin M. Kohl |title=A Dictionary of Contemporary Germany |publisher=Routledge (UK) |year=1998 |isbn=1-57958-114-5 |page=[http://print.google.com/print?id=mnPfmoPlrwIC&lpg=64&pg=64&sig=6px9XGkkC3_T_P8U2WftxKu8160 page 64]}}{{dead link|date=February 2016}}}
• Claus Christian (2007): A photographic excursion through Bremen, Bremen-North, Bremerhaven, Fischerhude and Worpswede, {{ISBN|978-3-00-015451-5}}
• {{cite book |last1=Dannenberg |first1=Hans-Eckhard |last2=Schulze |first2=Heinz-Joachim |year=1995 |title=Geschichte des Landes zwischen Elbe und Weser vol. 1 Vor- und Frühgeschichte |publisher=Landschaftsverband der ehem. Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden |location=Stade |isbn=978-3-9801919-7-5}}
• {{cite book |last1=Dannenberg |first1=Hans-Eckhard |last2=Schulze |first2=Heinz-Joachim |year=1995 |title=Geschichte des Landes zwischen Elbe und Weser vol. 2 Mittelalter (einschl. Kunstgeschichte) |publisher=Landschaftsverband der ehem. Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden |location=Stade |isbn=978-3-9801919-8-2}}
• {{cite book |last1=Dannenberg |first1=Hans-Eckhard |last2=Schulze |first2=Heinz-Joachim |year=2008 |title=Geschichte des Landes zwischen Elbe und Weser vol. 3 Neuzeit |publisher=Landschaftsverband der ehem. Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden |location=Stade |isbn=978-3-9801919-9-9}}
• Herbert Schwarzwälder (1995), Geschichte der Freien Hansestadt Bremen. Vol. I – V. Bremen: {{Ill|Edition Temmen|de}}, {{ISBN|3-86108-283-7}}

{{Sister project links|voy=Bremen|Bremen}}

• [https://www.bremen.de/ Official city website]
• [http://www.bremen-tourism.de/ Official visitors information (various languages)]
• [http://www.panorama-cities.net/bremen/bremen_germany.html Bremen City Panoramas – Panoramic Views and virtual Tours]
• [http://www.bremen-city.de/ Official site of the city center]
• [http://www.bremen-schnoor.de/ Official site of the Schnoor quarter]
• [http://www.dasviertel.de/ Official site of the shopping quarter Das Viertel]
• [http://www.schlachte.de/ Official site of the Weser promenade Schlachte] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531111859/http://www.schlachte.de/ |date=2022-05-31 }}
• [http://www.bid-soegestrasse.de/ Official site of the shopping avenue Sögestraße]
• [http://www.lloydpassage.de/ Official site of the shopping mall Lloyd Passage]
• [http://www.ansgari-bid.de/ Official site of the shopping quarter Ansgari Quartier]
• [http://www.battlefieldsww2.com/u-bootbunkerwerft-hornisse.html Remnant from World War II in Bremen]

{{Geographic location

|Centre=Bremen

|North =Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven

|Northeast=Hamburg

|East =Lüneburg

|Southeast=Hanover

|South =Bielefeld

|Southwest=Osnabrück

|West =Oldenburg

|Northwest=

}}

{{Capitals of the states of the Federal Republic of Germany}}

{{List of European capitals by region}}

{{Germany districts Bremen}}

{{Cities in Germany}}

{{Hanseatic League}}

{{Free Imperial Cities}}

{{Lower Saxon Circle}}

{{Bremen landmarks}}

{{Highest points of the German states}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:German state capitals

Category:Free imperial cities

Category:Landmarks in Germany

Category:Members of the Hanseatic League

Category:Port cities and towns in Germany

Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea

Category:Hanseatic Cities

Category:Urban districts of Germany