10 reasons to love Bremen

The Town Musicians of Bremen is a famous folktale by the Brothers Grimm. The story is about four aging animals leaving their homes to seek their fortune in Bremen. Local legend says that touching the Bremen Town Musicians statue in the city center will bring good luck.

This Bremen statue shows Roland, a loyal knight who once served under Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne. It was erected in the city's market square in 1404. Legend has it that Bremen will remain free and independent as long as Roland stands watch over the city. The statue and historic town hall are protected UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Seventeenth century artists carved countless intricate figures and reliefs into the sandstone facade of Bremen's City Hall . Among them is the city's famous key symbol, which later became a motif in the coat of arms. Bremen is revered for its Weser Renaissance architecture.

The former Schütting guild house served Bremen's merchants and traders for nearly 600 years. Today, it houses Bremen's chamber of commerce. In 1899, the Low German inscription "buten un binnen wagen un winnen," which translates to "outside and in, risk it and win," was added to the building's portal.

Every year, 100 captains, 100 merchants and 100 guests gather at Bremen City Hall for the traditional Schaffermahlzeit banquet. The all-male tradition was introduced in 1545 as a means to gather together the city's captains, ship owners and merchants. On February 13, 2015, women were invited to the dinner for the first time in history.

Charming half-timbered houses and quaint stores make up Bremen's enchanting Schnoor quarter, located just a few hundred meters from the market square. It is the city's oldest neighborhood and ideal for a leisurely stroll.

The Weser River connects Bremen to the North Sea via Bremerhaven, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) further north. The river was a key trade route. Over the centuries, ships would bring raw materials back to Bremen from northern Europe, where they would in turn load fabrics and ironware. Bremen became a member of the Hanseatic League, a powerful medieval alliance of merchants and cities, in 1358.

Bremerhaven has one of the largest container ports in Europe, handling some 50 million tons of cargo every year. Yet Bremerhaven is also a key hub for passenger ships. Its Columbus Cruise Center ranks among the most modern passenger terminals in the world. The city is also home to the Atlantic Hotel Sail City, which resembles a giant sail.

Bremerhaven's German Emigration Center is dedicated to the history of Germans who migrated abroad, especially to the US. It's here that in the 19th and 20th centuries, millions of passengers boarded ships bound for the American continent and elsewhere seeking to build new lives.

Bremerhaven's harbor district features a dazzling museum dedicated to climate change. The stylish building resembles the shape of a ship and its exterior is comprised of 4,000 glass panes. Inside, visitors can learn about the impact of global warming on nature and mankind.