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128
—GW
T I M E O F F I N
…
BREMEN
See
The bronze statue of the
BREMEN
C ITY MUS I C IANS
, the city’s
unofficial emblem, is a good place to
start a walking tour. It’s located right
next to the historic
TOWN HALL
,
which, like the
ROLAND
statue, the
town’s symbol of freedom and the right
to hold markets, was constructed during
a period known as the ‘Weser
renaissance’. To the east of the town
hall, under Roland’s watchful gaze, is
ST PETER’ S CATHEDRAL
, a
predominantly sandstone structure with
two 99m towers. For a creepy thrill,
check out the mummies in the
cathedral’s
BLE IKELLER
.
The oldest part of town is a few minutes
from the Marktplatz. The
SCHNOOR
(Low German for Schnur which means
‘string’ or ‘lace’), is a row of small,
narrow, thatched 15th- and 16th-
century cottages located next to the
Weser, which houses goldsmiths, craft
shops, cosy cafes and restaurants.
The
UNIVERSUM
contains a
Science Centre with a collection of 230
exhibits, a discovery park and diverse
temporary exhibitions. At
EADS
ASTRIUM
, you can watch the Ariane
5 rocket being assembled.
If you’re curious to learn more
about the city’s maritime history, take
a trip to the Speicher XI in the
ÜBERSEESTADT
. Inside, you’ll find
the
HAFENMUSEUM
, or Harbour
Museum, which documents 120 years of
Bremen harbour’s history.
The
UFERPROMENADE
SCHLACHTE
is a popular hangout in
summer, when the parks and beer
gardens teem with life and the quay fills
with boats.
Drink
Wir geh’n up’n Swutsch
is a local
expression, which roughly means
‘we’re going to make a night of it’.
Bremen is home to a host of cool clubs
and bars, so there’s plenty to keep night
owls happy. The
SOHO CLUB
► Konsul-Smidt-Strasse 8D, 28217
Bremen, +49 (0)421 388950, www.
soho-bremen.de ◄
opens on Friday
and Saturday. The club is located on the
fifth floor of an old warehouse on the
docks, and the dancing often goes on
until dawn. It attracts a well-dressed
crowd of all ages – the dress code is
‘casual-elegant’. Clubbers can also
enjoy great views of the city by night
from the top floor.
If you want to burn the candle at both
ends, Bremen-style, then try the
HEARTBREAK HOTEL
►
Fehrfeld 29, Bremen, +49 (0)421 794
8875 ◄
. Although it opens at 8pm, the
small, rustic bar only really gets going
after most other venues have closed.
Contrary to what its name suggests, the
venue doesn’t offer beds for the night,
although by the time you get there, you
may be wishing it did.
FRITZ
► Herdentorsteinweg 39,
28195 Bremen, +49 (0)421 639 1713,
www.fritz-bremen.de ◄
is a new
theatre offering a varied programme of
plays, variety shows, musicals,
comedies and club nights from the
Bremen Comedy Club, a Schlager show,
improv and guest appearances by
well-known artists.
Sleep
The four-star design hotel
ÜBERFLUSS
► Langenstraße 72,
28195 Bremen, +49 (0)421 322860,
www.hotel-ueberfluss.de ◄
is located
by the Weser river, a fewmetres from the
Marktplatz and the Old Town. The
ultra-modern hotel has a black, glossy
interior and a wonderful spa. Ironically this
temple of 21st-century design sits directly
on top of some ancient history. During its
construction, builders unearthed the
oldest part of the 12th-century Bremen
city wall in the ground below.
The new four-star
ATLANTIC
GRAND HOTEL
► Bredenstraße 2,
28195 Bremen, +49 (0)421 620 62-0,
www.atlantic-hotels.de ◄
is situated
in the centre of the Old Town. It’s
popular with holidaymakers as well as
businesspeople, who like to make use of
the hotel’s nine 600-person capacity
conference rooms and the rooftop
terrace, which offers great views of the
cathedral and Marktplatz.
The
HOSTEL ZOLLHAUS
► Am Kaffee-Quartier 1, 28217
Bremen, +49 (0)421 696 5180,
www.zollhaus-bremen.de ◄
is around
1km from the city centre and offers
guests of all ages modern,
unpretentious budget accommodation in
cute but unfussy surroundings,
overlooking the harbour. It’s all a far cry
from the 1950s, when customs officers
patrolled the building.
CLASS ICO
► Hinter dem Schütting
1A, 28195 Bremen, +49 (0)421 2440
0867,www.hotel-classico-bremen.de◄
is a small but perfectly formed hotel with
12 rooms, each of which is decorated
according to a different theme.
Inspiration comes from such diverse
sources as Alexander the Great and the
Buena Vista Social Club.
Eat
You’ll find plenty of local specialities
such as Kohl und Pinkel (kale with
smoked sausage) and Labskaus und
Knipp (fried corned beef, potatoes and
sausages) on themenu at the 600-year-
old
BREMER RATSKELLER
► AmMarkt, 28195 Bremen,
+49 (0)421 321676, www.ratskeller-
bremen.de ◄
. The historic eatery is
also famous for its 70-page wine menu,
which includes 650 different vintages
from all over Germany, as well as its six
Priölken (Low German for ‘small
rooms’), which can be rented out to
groups of four or five people.
There are also plenty of restaurants to
choose from in the city’s oldest quarter,
the Schnoorviertel, which dates back to
the 15th century.
BECK’ S IN’N
SNOOR
► Im Schnoor 34–36, 28195
Bremen, +49 (0)421 323130, www.
becks-im-schnoor.de ◄
is located in
one of the city’s angular alleyways and
offers traditional cooking and typical
Bremen specialities, as well as delicious
hot and cold fish dishes, such as the
grilled-fish platter – salmon, escolar and
redfish in a Riesling sauce.
For something completely different, try
the
PANNEKOEKSCHI P
ADMIRAL NELSON
► Schlachte
Anleger 1, 28195 Bremen, +49 (0)421
364 9984, www.admiral-nelson.de ◄
.
The restaurant, which serves up
pancakes of all kinds, is housed inside
a reconstruction of a frigate dating
from the famous English admiral’s era.
The ‘ship with a pirate atmosphere’ is
closed on Mondays and Tuesdays for
‘pirate raids’.