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Bremen

January 31, 2015

From Bremen's urban heart to the maritime hub in Bremerhaven on the North Sea, Germany's smallest state looks out on a broad horizon.

https://p.dw.com/p/1ERxm
The Bremen Town Musicians
The Bremen Town MusiciansImage: lassedesignen/Fotolia

Its own unique atmosphere has been shaped by its Hanseatic tradition and cosmopolitan flair.

The Bremen Town Musicians is a bronze sculpture of the Grimm fairy tale characters, who've become the Hanseatic city's most popular ambassadors. The Bremen Roland has been standing watch on the Market Square for over 600 years. Roland and the city hall with its facade in the style of the Weser Renaissance are on UNESCO list of World Heritage sites. In the days of the Hanseatic League, shipping and commerce made Bremen wealthy. The Weser River is Bremen’s connection to the North Sea. The river runs sixty kilometers to Bremerhaven, which is also part of the city-state of Bremen. The international port moves some 50 million metric tons of freight annually. Bremerhaven hopes to pick up on its passenger shipping tradition with the Columbus Cruise Center.

Germany's smallest state