With an area of 400 square kilometres and a population of 660,000 Bremen, in the north of the country, is the smallest of the 16 federal German states. The two-city state consists of Bremen and Bremerhaven, which are 60 kilometres apart so they do not form a geographical unit.
www.bremen.de
In the 8th century, Charlemagne had a church dedicated to Saint Peter and a bishopric built on the highest point of a sand dune; St. Peter’s key is still part of the city’s coat-of-arms. The people of Bremen received market rights in 888. In 1358 they became members of the Hanseatic League, and since 1646 have been allowed to call themselves a Free City. Today, a grand coalition between SPD and CDU governs Bremen, headed by the mayor Jens Böhrnsen (SPD).
The economy is dominated by the port, on which every third job depends. DaimlerChrysler is the largest industrial employer, with 16,000 employees. 13,000 people work in the food industry (Tchibo coffee, Kraft cheese, Becks beer). The dense network of science and research constantly provides new ideas.
www.big-bremen.de
In the Overseas Museum the visitor encounters foreign cultures, while at the theatre he can experience a particular kind of production known as the ”Bremen style” – Bremen’s museums, theatres and art collections offer great diversity. The Baroque and Renaissance ensemble around the Market Square, with the Town Hall and Roland (the city’s most famous landmark), patrician houses and ”Schütting” (chamber of commerce) are manifestations in stone of the citizens’ pride.
In 1827, Bremen, lying 60 kilometres inland, founded Bremerhaven as an ”advance port” on a navigable coast. Today, with 130,000 inhabitants, Bremerhaven is a self-confident city, the largest German city on the North Sea, and Europe’s largest automobile hub. More than 750,000 cars of German, Italian and Japanese design are exported or imported annually via Bremerhaven.
