Page 516 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

Garten (Great Garden) is high Knight Roland statue
the centrepiece of the (1404). As elsewhere,
experience. Roland stands for the WESTEND61 / GETTY IMAGES ©
civic freedoms of a city,
The Drive » Germany’s
famed autobahns make quick especially the freedom to
work of the 127km to Bremen: trade independently.
take the A352 16km to the A7, On the western side of
then shoot northwest on that the Rathaus you’ll find the
road and the A27. It will feel like city’s unmissable and fa-
you’ve arrived before you left, mous symbol of the Grimm
unless you get caught in a Stau fairy tale: the Town Musi-
(traffic jam).
cians of Bremen (1951)
by the sculptor Gerhard
TRIP HIGHLIGHT Marcks. The story tells
c Bremen of a donkey, a dog, a cat
and a rooster who know
Bremen is well known for their time is up with their
its fairy-tale character, cruel masters, so set out for
a unique expressionist Bremen and the good life.
quarter and (it must be On the way they encounter
said, because Bremeners a forest cottage filled with
are avid football fans) robbers. They cleverly dis-
one of Germany’s most patch the crooks and, yes,
exciting football teams. live happily ever after. The
GERMANY 36 GERMAN FAIRY TALE ROAD
With high, historic statue depicts the dog, cat
buildings rising up from and rooster, one on top of
this very compact square, the other, on the shoulders
Bremen’s Markt is one of the donkey. The donkey’s
of the most remarkable nose and front legs are in-
in northern Germany. credibly shiny having been
The two towers of the touched by many visitors
1200-year-old Dom St for good luck.
Petri (St Petri Cathedral;
% 0421-334 7142; www. 54 p517
stpetridom.de; Sandstrasse
10-12; tower adult/conces- The Drive » Another quick
shot up the autobahn, the
sion €1/0.70, museum €3/2; A27, for 65km will bring you to
h10am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 2pm Bremerhaven and the North Sea. Bremerhaven has
Sat, 2-5pm Sun) dominate long been a conduit that
the northeastern edge, gathered the ‘huddled
beside the ornate and d Bremerhaven masses’ from the verdant
imposing Rathaus, which Anyone who has had the but poor countryside
was erected in 1410. fairy-tale dream of run- and poured them into
The Weser Renaissance ning away to sea will love the world outside. Of the
balcony in the middle, Bremerhaven’s water- millions who landed in
crowned by three gables, front – part machinery of America, a large propor-
was added between 1595 the trade, part glistening tion sailed from here,
and 1618. glass buildings pointing and an enticing exhibi-
In front of the Rathaus to a more recent under- tion at the Deutsches
is one of the hallmarks of standing of its harbour Auswandererhaus (German
Bremen, the city’s 13m- as a recreation spot. Emigration Centre; % 0471-902

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