The following birth notice appeared in the Bremer Nachrichten in the early 1930s: „Three is a Right in Bremen! The Third Herring-eater has arrived. Heinrich Dohrmann and spouse.“ The turn of phrase, which also crops up as, „Three Times is a Right in Bremen“ has different roots, all of which reflect something of the essence of the place. The idiom can be explained first of all with reference to legal history. Bremen’s municipal region was larger in the past and laid down its own legal principles, as opposed to common law: three instances for a legal process, three witnesses for conclusive evidence, three proclamations to achieve legal validity. A legal off-shoot of the sacred number three.

What is more, the people of Bremen were granted three rights by the emperor: its councillors could wear gold and fur, it had its own jurisdiction, and it had freedom to sail the river Weser. Then there is a link to the neighbouring Dutchspeaking region: „Dreimaal is scheepsrecht,“ meaning that a skipper had to give his men three meals a day, punishment was three slaps with the gruel spoon, and hurrah was shouted three times when a corpse was thrown overboard, accompanied by the words: „Een, twee, drie in Gods naam.“

Bremen has hopes of being the European cultural capital in 2010. By then, it should have a Literaturhaus, the facades will have all been renovated, and it will be appealing to the Europeans to look at a city that has always stood in the shadow of other cities. Who would want to move away from here? I certainly wouldn’t.