I really enjoyed my visit to Bremen, it turned out to be a very charming city, with much to warrant a visit.
The World heritage site itself I am still unsure about though, The Town Hall is very impressive and sits on a very lovely square which contains the statue of Roland. The statue is nice, and represents the city’s place in the Hanseatic League. Whilst these are both very nice I am not sure if they are really of ‘Outstanding Universal value’. They are representative of many similar places in Europe and I guess this was the reason for inclusion. But anyway my experience of Bremen was far from negative; in fact it was a real delight of a city.
Aside from the elements of the World Heritage Site the most impressive site was Böttchersraße, which runs from the Market Square to the river, it is one of the finest pieces of Art Nouveau architecture anywhere in Europe. We loved it especially as we were lucky enough to see the fantastic Himelsaal at the top of the magnificent spiral staircase in Haus Atlantic, now the Hilton. The Schnoor area is a delightful mess of narrow lanes with some great shops, especially Atelier GAG which sells paper models. Am Wall is a lovely Park next to the former moat is a lovely place for a stroll and sit down. The Schlachte is a nice riverside area with bars and restaurants.
Bremen was a very nice city and well worth a visit, especially as its airport is one of the best located for the city centre, being only 15 minutes from arrivals to the main square. Despite the fact I feel the site it is not of ‘Outstanding Universal Value’ it was a really great city to visit and one that I could thoroughly recommend.