So much for the surface of things. Bremen is actually a village, or rather several villages strung alongside one another on both sides of the river Weser, so and so many kilometres long and so narrow that you can get to the countryside in ten minutes by bike. Bremen’s city quarters are traversed by military roads that have never seen that many soldiers, one quarter beside the next, one quarter different to the next, yet each with its own proud traditions. A person from Vegesack in north Bremen would not necessarily feel comfortable in the „wild Ostertor“ quarter, and vice versa. For those living in the inner city, a restaurant such as the one in the Künstlerhaus Am Deich 68 is situated on the wrong side of the river, although it is only ten minutes away on foot. And so on and so forth. Yet the city still sticks together, so to speak, especially when it comes to preserving its independence as a Hanseatic city or resisting the threatening closure of the local radio station, or when it comes to supporting the green-white German first division soccer team or rebuffing the arrogance of its sister Hanseatic city, Hamburg, which occasionally looks upon Bremen as „terribly provincial.“ People from Hamburg wouldn’t set foot in it, let alone live here.
Bremen is open-mindedly liberal, one of its most outstanding qualities. Different opinions are tolerated here, and lateral thinkers are not punished. The city has always been quite left-wing, not just during the Räterepublik (Republic of People’s Councils) in the 1920s, but even when, at a considerably late date, Bremen university was set up in 1972 on the periphery of the city. That educational institution was often referred to as the „red cadre training ground,“ a reputation that stuck for quite some time.
Meanwhile, the prejudices have been laid to rest and academics from Bremen enjoy widespread recognition. The high-tech quarter with its many innovative companies that has developed beside the university is evidence of the fact that the venerable Hanseatic city is indeed capable of constantly renewing itself.
Carved on the Schütting, the seat of the chamber of commerce on the Market Square, are the phrases: „Buten un binen,“ „Wagen un winnen,“ meaning „outside and inside,“ „Venture and Succeed.“ These phrases contain more than just an agenda. The „red wine drinkers, beer brewers and coffee roasters,“ as I refer to them rather disrespectfully in my crime stories, are not the least among the patrons of the city’s active cultural life, which can expect less and less from the public coffers. Opera performances take place by the grace of a well-known brand of coffee, musical premieres with the support of the largest bank in town.
The short distances in Bremen come in handy here. Almost every day, the mayor, on his bicycle, or one of his senate colleagues can be seen about town. With no bodyguards, needless to day. People who want to achieve something know who they have to turn to. And often rumours soon emerge exactly where they were intended to be spread. Bremen is really a village. With the mentality of a metropolis. Although that’s going too far, rather with the mentality of a major centre. After all, Bremen’s main motto is: „Bremer, Bremer weest bedächtig,“ meaning that the people of Bremen should be modest and not stick their necks out. Those who do, immediately meet with contempt. However, if they receive praise elsewhere, the contemptuous can always reconsider.
