Five views of Bremen, Germany, ca 1982
This is a typical traditional type of tourist, souvenir postcard with five representative views of Bremen, Germany. It is a used postcard, mailed from Bremen in 1982. There is a blurb at the upper left on the reverse that identifies each photo. From the top left: 1. U.[Unser] L. [Lieben] Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), 2. Altes Rathaus (Bremen City Hall), 3. Mühle am Wall (Am Wall Windmill). Bottom left 4. Überseehafen (Oversea port), 5. Banhofsplatz (Main Station, railway). The card is a Günter Reinhardt product, printed in Bremen. Cards like this one were often available for purchase at the locations shown on the card. Sadly, this card did not have a photo of the famous statue of the Town Musicians of Bremen from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale.
1. The Church of Our Lady is an Evangelical Lutheran church in Bremen. This building dates from the 13th century and has brightly colored stained-glass windows by the French artist, Alfred Manessier. An earlier church dedicated to Saint Vitus stood here and was replaced by a newer building around 1020. Only the crypt decorated with medieval frescoes exists today. In the 12th century the building was extended to form a basilica. Then around 1220 it was consecrated to the Virgin Mary. Renovations and rebuilding have occurred several times throughout the years. Although the pictures only show one, there are two towers. In 1973 this church was listed under the monument protection act.
2. The Bremen City Hall has also been protected since 1973 as an historical building. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2004 in part because of its prime example as Brick Gothic and Weser Renaissance architecture. Located on the northeastern side of the market square, a statue of Roland stands directly in front of the building. This “new” structure was built in the 15th century and is the seat of the President of the Senate and Mayor of Bremen. The first townhall had been on the southern end of the block near Our Lady’s Church.
3. Am Wall Windmill was built in 1898. It is open to the public and has a restaurant. The first windmill on this site was built in 1699; however, it was destroyed by fire and then rebuilt several times. The windmill is located in the middle of a city park. It has four shuttered sails, sits on an eight-sided base, and is steered by a wind vane. There are several different types of windmill sails. Spring sails, invented by Andrew Meikle of Scotland, in 1772, are divided into bays, each having a number of shutters. The shutters are joined together by a shutter bar. The photo on card may be too small to provide the detail necessary to see the individual shutters on the sails. Each sail has a separate spring that adjusts the shutters depending on the force of the wind. Visitors pay a nominal fee to tour the building which is open every day. During the winter months it is only open in the afternoon.
4. Überseeshafen was located in the urban area and is now called Überseestadt. Überseehafen or Oversea harbor was opened in 1906 and taken out of service in 1991. In 1998 the harbor was filled with soil taken from the current main shipping lane of outer Weser. This allowed has allowed reclaimed land to expand the urban area, hence the name change to Überseestadt. Other harbors include Medieval harbors, outer harbors, Emigrant harbor, Weser Correction and modern basins. In the last decades overseas travel has switched to air transport; mixed cargo is now by container transport, using sea vessels of increased size.
5. The main rail station, Bremen Hauptbahnhof, is the most important railway station in the city. Bremen’s first rail station opened on the current site in 1847. By 1870 rail traffic had increased so much that the station could not cope and an additional new station was built north of this one. Within 10 to 15 years it was decided that one single station would be better than two stations. Today’s station was built between 1886 and 1891, in 1907 more tracks were added. Even though the station has been remodeled several times, as late as the 1990s and early 2000s, the exterior still resembles the original 1880s building.
Stamp and postmark on the postcard
From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_Musicians_of_Bremen
We were in Bremen for a quick stop in 1982; however, we were not near the statue and did not get a picture of it. As an ode to the fairy tale, here is a photo of the statue from Wikipedia.org
For additional information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Lady,_Bremen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breman_City_Hall
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am_Wall_Windmill
https://en.wikpedia.org/wiki/Wind-sail
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ports_of_Bremen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremen_Hauptbahnhof
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_Musicians_of_Bremen
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