BREMEN

Bremen, coat of arms

Bremen, car license plate

Bremen is one of the largest seaports on the North Sea. Decaf coffee and the Champions League trophy were invented here.

BREMEN: THE MOST INTERESTING

Bremen on a map of a Germany

Bremen is located on both banks of the Weser River, approximately 60 km from where it flows into the North Sea.

It's Germany's smallest state, divided by another federal state, Lower Saxony. It comprises only two cities: the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and Bremerhaven, a port proper. Here, the centuries-old life and spirit of this unique region are particularly vivid.

Such small dimensions suggest great creativity: decaffeinated coffee, screw-in studs for football boots, and the Champions League trophy were all invented in Bremen.

For avid drivers, things aren't so rosy. Bremen is the only federal state in Germany with a speed limit on autobahns—130 kilometers per hour.

BREMEN: HISTORY OF THE COAT OF ARMS

Bremen city seal, 1366, fragment with key

Is it difficult to describe the key on the coat of arms? The heraldic high style tells us: "On a gules field, a silver key, executed in Gothic form in a dexter band, with the barb upward." The symbol is striking and memorable, and it even has its own unique name: the "Bremen Key." But actually this key is the key of St. Peter, the patron saint of the city.

The symbol proved so powerful that even Napoleon Bonaparte hesitated to remove it when the city was under his rule. Today, the key is often found on the logos of many local companies as a self-explanatory element of regional identity.

Bremen, coat of arms 1811, under Napoleonic rule

Today, some German cities, namely Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck, and several others, retain the historical title "Hanseatic" (or "Hansestadt" in German) in their official names. For example, Bremen is known as the "Hanseatic City of Bremen."

This is reflected in state license plates. Vehicles in these cities have plates beginning with the additional Latin letter "H" – "HB" (for "Hansestadt Bremen"), "HH" (for "Hansestadt Hamburg"), and so on.

BREMEN: THE FUN FACTS

Monument to the Bremen Town Musicians

Few cities can boast of having a set phrase associated with his name.

In our case, it is, of course, “Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten,” or The Bremen Town Musicians – a fairy tale by the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm about the adventures of an unusual group of traveling musicians, first published in 1819.

Although the work is based on a story by the German storyteller Dorothea Wiemann (1755-1816), it was the Brothers Grimm who brought it to the top of literary prominence.

Somebody can say "Plagiarism", and we will say "Tradition".