Bremen: the fabled musicians on the Weser

A Hanseatic city on the Weser, Bremen preserves the famous statue of the Town Musicians of Bremen, protagonists of one of the best-known fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm.

The center, linked to the tale of the Bremen musicians, can be comfortably visited on foot along the Weser.

The Statue of the Town Musicians of Bremen, depicting a donkey, dog, cat and rooster standing on each other's backs, remains the city's most photographed monument from the fairy tale.

Just steps away, Bremen's Town Hall, a UNESCO world heritage site in Renaissance style, dominates the main square alongside the statue of the Roland knight.

Continuing you walk through the Schnoor quarter, a former fishermen's neighborhood with narrow medieval alleyways among restored half-timbered houses.

Toward evening, the alternative Böttcherstraße quarter, an Art Nouveau masterpiece built by a coffee merchant, animates galleries and artisan shops.

The fairy tale of the Town Musicians of Bremen, collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 19th century, does not actually describe the animals reaching the city, but only as they are heading toward it seeking their fortune.

The Town Hall and the Roland statue of Bremen were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004 as symbols of the civic autonomy and market rights conquered by this Hanseatic city in the Middle Ages.