Bremen
in full Freie Hansestadt Bremen
(German: Free Hanseatic City-State of Bremen), Gemeinde (commune), Kreisfrei Stadt (county town), and capital of the Land (state) of Bremen, which comprises the two cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven, Germany. It is situated on the Weser River some 43 miles (70 km) from the North Sea, is one of the largest ports of Germany, and is one of the more dynamic of that nation's cities. Bremen is also one of the major industrial cities of northern Europe. Together with the port of Bremerhaven, situated 37 miles (60 km) to the north, it forms the smallest (in area and population) of the Länder of Germany but is of vital economic significance. This article describes both the Land and the city that dominates it.
The earliest settlement (called Breme or Bremum) on the right bank of the river was favoured by an advantageous position at the junction of important early trading routes from the Rhine River to the Elbe and from the North Sea to southern Germany. In 787 Charlemagne (742-814), the Western (Holy Roman) emperor, established the diocese of Bremen (to become an archbishopric in 845), which became the base for missionary activity covering the whole of northern Europe. The market rights—including customs and coinage—that were conferred on Bremen in 965 brought increased mercantile activity, and the young city soon became one of the commanding religious and economic centres of northern Germany, especially after entering the Hanseatic League—an economic and political association of the rising urban mercantile class—in 1358. The imperial free city, as Bremen became known, occupying a strongly fortified position on either side of the Weser, defended its independence in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) and later repelled both Swedish and Hanoverian aggression. As an autonomous republic—the oldest in Germany—it joined the German Confederation in 1815 and the reconstituted German Empire in 1871. It attained increasing economic importance as a leader in international trade and world shipping by entering the German customs union (Zollverein) in 1888, through expanding its port facilities, and by developing manufacturing industry.
The city of the late 20th century is an interesting amalgam of medieval and modern architecture. The outstanding features in the Altstadt, or Old Town, in the restored heart of the city, are the famous marketplace with its 11th-century cathedral; the Gothic Town Hall with its Renaissance facade; the statue of Roland (1404), symbolizing market rights and imperial jurisdiction; a picturesque row of old, gabled houses; and the modern-style Parliament. Districts heavily bombed in World War II (69 percent of the houses were destroyed) have since been rebuilt, allowing for growing traffic and extensive public parks. About 3 miles from the city centre, the modern satellite town of Neue Vahr, built between 1957 and 1962, is one of a ring of peripheral settlements that have coalesced with the expanding and dynamic city.
The land.
Located at the first ford above the river estuary, the Old Town grew on a sand dune, sited above flood level on the Weser spillway, the glacially widened river channel. The windblown sand accumulated, in the postglacial period, up to a height of 45 feet (15 m) above the flat marshes and moors of the Bremer Becken (lowlands). Because of the effect of North Sea tides and of the high subterranean water level, 71 miles of dikes, associated with a complicated drainage system, play an important role in the Bremen urban area. The dune—25 miles long and 2 miles wide—has thus decisively influenced the northward and southward expansion of the city. The territorial possessions of the city also included large sections of the swampy, cultivated lowlands and stretches along the Weser, which became associated with the rise of further smaller settlements. The gradual incorporation of these rural communities—which had always had close economic relations with Bremen—started in 1849 and in 1945 brought the administrative area of the city of Bremen to its contemporary size of approximately 125 square miles (324 square km).
The people.
Bremen ranks among the dozen largest cities in Germany. A small town of only 30,000 inhabitants a century and a half ago, its subsequent growth, closely linked with its economic development, occasioned a population rise that reached 162,000 by 1880 and 264,000 in 1920. By the end of World War II, the population of the war-torn city had dropped from 424,000 (1939) to 362,000, but it rose sharply with the extensive postwar reconstruction. By the late 20th century, Bremen population was characterized by an annual birth rate of less than 2 percent. This, together with an insignificant inward migration rate, made it one of the more demographically stable German cities. The age structure of the population shows that the majority is in the age group from 15 to 65. As might be expected in an industrial city, nearly half of the 15 to 65 age group are employed. Living as they are in the heart of the strongly Protestant north of Germany, the vast majority of Bremen citizens are members of the Protestant Church, with a small minority adhering to the Roman Catholic faith.
The economy.
In the late 20th century the economic life of the Land continued to reflect the historic interconnection of shipping, foreign trade, and industry. The port facilities of Bremen and Bremerhaven, which, administratively and economically, form one unit, incorporate free-port status, whereby imported goods can be handled and stored without time limits and without customs formalities. Bremerhaven handles about one-fourth of the total tonnage of goods in the two ports, just over half of which is mixed cargo, the remainder being composed of such bulk goods as grain, coal, ore, and oil. The merchant fleet of Bremen—whose number rose sharply after the foundation of the Norddeutscher Lloyd Shipping Company in 1857—consisted by the late 20th century of several hundred seagoing vessels and many barges. The port of Bremerhaven was the home of the largest German fishing fleet.
In Hanseatic times, Bremen's importance rested almost entirely on its character as a trading centre and as a seaport for handling raw materials and foodstuffs. Grain from the Baltic countries, for example, was sent to western Europe via the city, and, in return, wine, salt, and, later, colonial products—notably cotton, for which it was the European marketing centre—passed through it. Since the end of the 18th century, the port has handled, in increasing quantities, grain, timber, coffee, tobacco, wool, and cotton. These items are processed by local firms, which are among the biggest of their kind in the country.
Originally, the city's entire industrial potential—except for food industries—depended upon the shipyards and their supporting firms. By means of industrial enterprises founded after 1900, the Bremen economy increasingly became more diversified, supplying the internal market and ensuring sufficient freight for outward-sailing ships. Steel for the city's shipbuilding industry—the seven major companies of which comprise a substantial proportion of the national shipyard capacity—derives from local steelworks. In addition, machine-building industries specialize in engines and equipment for ships and trucks and machinery for growth industries. The aircraft industry comprises a large part of the total German capacity. Production in the electrical industry ranges from industrial equipment to radio and television sets and modern electronic materials. By the late 20th century, several hundred industrial firms in the region employed many thousands of workers, with capital goods industries accounting for half of the workers, the food industry for one-fifth, consumer goods industries for about one-sixth, and raw materials industries for about one-fifth.
Administrative and social conditions.
Bremen Land, the overall administrative unit, has a total area of 156 square miles (404 square km). The city of Bremerhaven, which covers 31 square miles, was founded as an outer port for Bremen because of the silting up of the lower Weser; it joined the Bremen Land in 1947.
A new constitution, adopted in the same year, placed the legislative power in the City Council (Bürgerschaft). The council appoints the executive body (Senate), which is composed of a president (Bürgermeister) and nine senators. The major political parties of the Land are the Social Democrats, Free Democrats, and Christian Democrats. The council—which has 80 members from Bremen and 20 from Bremerhaven—and the Senate are elected every four years. The Land has three seats in the Upper House of the Federal Council (Bundesrat).
In the late 20th century, about half of all Bremen employees worked in commerce, transport, and various services. Bremen is the home of several banks, insurance companies, a stock exchange, and cotton- and tobacco-marketing centres. The importance of its overseas connections is illustrated by the presence of consulates of about 30 countries. Warehouses, stores, and specialist shops also cater to people from the surrounding rural area, while imports and exports are dealt with by numerous shipping companies and agents. The railways are an important factor in the transportation of piece (cloth) goods. Quick electric passenger trains and motorways link modern Bremen with the country's major cities; and, apart from direct flights to London and Amsterdam, Bremen airport is connected with many inland airports.
The city has a few hundred primary and secondary schools, several vocational schools and academies, a number of technical schools—among which are a school of engineering, and a merchant marine school—and a teacher's training college. A university was founded in 1971. Bremen has a radio and television transmitting station, and several daily and weekly newspapers are published.
Cultural life
Numerous theatres, libraries and archives, and museums and galleries contribute to the rich cultural life of Bremen. Most of these facilities are concentrated in the pleasant surroundings of the old town, especially in the Schnoorviertel, a district that was restored to its original 16th- and 17th-century appearance in the post-World War II reconstruction. In keeping with the worldwide connections of the city, international congresses are often held in Bremen, which offers numerous hotels, several conference halls, and a congress hall seating 10,000 people. As in many other German industrial cities, there are extensive sports grounds, associated with several hundred clubs. Parks, located all over the city, offer a relaxing contrast to the often hectic pace of economic activities. The best known are the Bürgerpark, with its famous rhododendron gardens, and the former ramparts, which were demolished in 1802 and which now form promenades surrounding the Old Town. Pop. (1989 est.) city, 535,058; state, 661,992.
Additional reading
G.O.A. Bessell, Bremen: Geschichte einer deutschen Stadt, 3rd ed. (1955), a general review of the history of the city; Freie Hansestadt Bremen: Werden, Vergehen und Wiederaufbau (1947), an atlas of views and maps of the city (1567–1945), with descriptive text; Bremen, Senator für Wirtschaft und Aussenhandel, Bremen/Bremerhaven: Industrie am Strom (1969), a discussion of the individual branches of industry and their development within the Bremen economy, Die Wirtschaftsstruktur Bremens, 2nd ed. (1969), a general review of the Bremen economy; G. Deissmann (ed.), Wachsende Städte an der Unterweser, 2nd ed. (1965), a general review of the economy of the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven and their individual development, with valuable statistics and maps of the ports; Zuhause in Bremen (1970), a guide through Bremen with particular reference to cultural life and recreation, with detailed statistics and an extensive bibliography.
Copyright © 1994-2002 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Sources
- Encylopedia Britannica 2002, Expanded Edition DVD
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