Ruth Paget: Visiting the Hanseatic Trading Town of Bremen, Germany with Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Visiting the Hanseatic Trading Town of Bremen, Germany with Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

“The Only Good System is a Sound System,” reads the graffiti on a bridge overpass leading into Bremen, Germany.

Right beneath it is another line that reads, “The Best Nation is the Imagination.” Both sentences are written in English, which attest to Bremen’s trade links with England that reach back to the Middle Ages when it was part of the Hanseatic League. This League was a confederation of northern German towns that held a monopoly on trade with England, the Netherlands, and the Baltic Sea countries, particularly Russia.

Trouble came to the Hanseatic League from Denmark and Norway, who wanted the League’s riches and trade. In Forces of the Hanseatic League: 13^th to 15^th Centuries (Men-at-Arms), author David Neville writes that Denmark and Norway practiced piracy and invaded to obtain the League’s wealth.

The Hanseatic League’s fortunes began to wane as different maritime routes and trade patterns emerged. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica’s “Hanseatic League” online entry, “new maritime connections between the Baltic and the Mediterranean Seas and between the Old World and the Americas caused a gradual diversion of trade westward to the Great Atlantic Ports.”

The Hanseatic towns are still important commercial centers in Germany. Drivers from Hanseatic towns have license plates that begin with an “H” to distinguish them from the rest of those in Germany. “HB” stands for “Hansa Bremen.” “HH” stands for “Hansa Hamburg.” “HL” stands for “Hansa Lübeck.”

Modern-day Bremen continues to benefit from its historical importance. The town’s rathaus (city hall) and Roland Statue are both listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Bremen reminds me of Brussels with its triangular, stepped façade on many of its buildings. The main difference between the two cities is that Brussels has a Catholic majority and Bremen has a Protestant majority. The St. Petri Don (St. Peter’s Cathedral) is Protestant now not Catholic.

According to Bremen’s tourism website, the Roland Statue that was erected in 1404 is the city’s “Statue of Liberty.” Roland is the epitome of a medieval knight protecting the freedom and independence of Bremen. The span between the statue’s knees also represents an “elle,” or historical unit of measure used in the city.

My favorite statue on the Marktplatz (Market Square) is the Stadtmusikkanten (Bremen Town Musicians). This statue of a donkey, dog, cat, and rooster refers to the fairy tale of the Bremen Town Musicians as told to the Brothers Grimm. When I was a youth services librarian, I often read this story to children and parents along with Leo Lionni’s Swimmy.

This fairy tale relates how the donkey, dog, cat, and rooster had outlived their usefulness on farms. The rooster was even destined for the cooking pot. They all set out for Bremen to be musicians. (Busking still happens in Bremen.) Outside town, they find a robbers’ house with robbers in it ready to eat a big meal. The animals make a lot of noise braying, barking, screeching, and crowing; they scare the robbers away and eat their meal. I always had the children and parents provide sound effects for this part of the book that I was reading.

I will not tell the rest of the fairy tale after this part. However, rest assured that the animals used the talents and wits to live well happily ever after. I will always consider Bremen a charming and clever town for this fairy town.

Photos of Bremen’s Rathaus, St. Petri Dom, and the Stadtmusikkanten Statue follow:

By Ruth Paget - Author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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