We found the bronze sculpture of the Bremen Town Musicians near the Rathaus at the Marktplatz. We read this story many times to Erika throughtout the year, so we had to make a special trip to see this famous sculpture
Also, near the Rathaus is the 10-meter high stone statue of Roland. Roland was a nephew of Charlemagne, who brandishes the sword of justice and carries a shield bearing the inscription "Freedom do I give you openly". It was erected by the burdghers in 1404 as a symbol of Bremen's independence from its archbishop, who is the city's traditional protector. As long as Roland stands, Bremen will remain free.
Böttcherstrasse or Cooper's Street is a strange street that combines elements of Gothic, art nouveau and fantasy. It was once the street of coopers or barrel makers. Between 1924 and 1931, houses on this street were torn down and reconstructed by Bremen coffee millionaire, Ludwig Roselius, who invented decaffeindated coffee and held the patent for a score of years. Sanka was the coffee's brand name in the United States. Roselius commissioned local avant-garde artists to create bronze reliefs, the arches, and turrets for craftspeoples' workshops and a musical clock depicting the history of transatlantic crossings.
The Modersohn-Becker-Haus is a small gallery containing a number of paintings by that painter. Paula Modersohn-Becker is a painter who lived and worked in a nearby village of Worpswede during the early 20th Century. She was perhaps the only German artist of this period who was influenced by Cezanne. Modersohn-Becker painted delicate still-lifes and portraits. For Modersohn-Becker, "to employ the closest observation in seeking the greatest simplicity is the source of greatness." She was not concerned with protest or drama but rather the simple pleasures of life, of children, and of the land.
