A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen/Oldenburg metropolitan region (2.4 million people). Bremen is the second most populous city in Northern Germany and tenth in Germany. Every year since 1036, in the last two weeks of October, Bremen has hosted Freimarkt (“Free market”), one of the world’s oldest and in Germany one of today’s biggest continuously celebrated fairground festivals. Bremen is host to one of the four big annual techno parades, the Vision Parade.
Many of the sights in Bremen are found in the Altstadt (Old Town), an oval area surrounded by the Weser River, on the southwest, and the Wallgraben, the former moats of the medieval city walls, on the northeast. The oldest part of the Altstadt is the southeast half, starting with the Marktplatz and ending at the Schnoor quarter.
“Schlachte” once was the medieval harbour of Bremen and is now a riverside boulevard that features pubs and bars aligned on one side and the banks of Weser on the other. Another thing Bremen is famous for is the Beck’s Brewery, which offers tours and beer tasting to the public. (Photos by: klickbrett)