You are now standing in front of the historical city hall, which was appointed a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 2004. It is the only European city hall from the late medieval age that has never been destroyed or renovated. The jewel was built from 1405 to 1412 in the Gothic style and the current magnificent façade in the “Weser-Renaissance” style was added between 1602 and 1612. The city hall features a hipped roof made of copper with three gables.Please walk alongside the old city hall’s arcades and look up to enjoy elaborate decorations of the façade, which is almost impossible to grasp by merely looking at it. The sculptor Lüder von Bentheim created fantasy scenes that were foreign to this era: many flowers and exotic fruit, mythical animals and angels, etc., are, without a doubt masonry masterpiece.Take your time and look at the artistic wall hanging featuring pictures of religious and political topics, as well as the hen and chick above the second city hall arch. Bremen dwellers love these two figurines because they represent Bremen’s foundation. Do you see eight monumental sculptors of the Emperor and the Counts on the left? They represent the entitlement to Bremen’s royal freedom.Proceed to the Eastside of the city hall toward the dome and take a look at the two Herald statues as well as the pointed windows and figurines. You have now reached the entrance to the city hall. Several guided tours through the interior of the old building are offered here on a daily basis. We recommend you to take one.Amongst other things, you will learn that the upper level of the city hall hallway is 40 m long, 13 m wide and 8 m high. It features an impressive mural named “Das Salomonische Urteil” (Solomon’s Judgement) from 1537. The ship models hanging from the ceiling are also unusual; they highlight the importance of the nautical industry and maritime trade in Bremen. Centuries ago, the magnificent “Rathaus” hall was used for city council meetings and it is still used as a representative hall for numerous events today. The “Schaffermahl,” which is the oldest annually recurring brotherhood dinner in the world and represents the traditional connection between Bremen merchants and the nautical industry, deserves an honourable mention .The beautiful “Güldenkammer” was formerly used for smaller city hall meetings. It features vibrant colours in the Art Nouveau style, which was created by the artist and painter Heinrich Volker at the beginning of the 20th century. At this time, the expansion of the city hall by adding a second building became necessary. This building was also based on a medieval design and is located right next to the old city hall. Both the old and the new city halls look very similar and define the overall image of the Marktplatz (farmers’ market).
Photo EKT09-Bremen Marktplatz-01 by Jürgen Howaldt is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0