PLAINS OF THE ELBE AND WESEE, ETC. 



287 



Fit 



164. — Bremen and Bremeehafen. 

 Scale 1 : 517,000. 



6- lO E of Pans 



inhabitants), on the Ocker, far below Brunswick, has cotton-mills and umbrella 

 manufactories, but is famous above all other towns for its wax, obtained on the 

 heaths stretching thence northward to Llineburg. Following the Ocker, we reach 

 the Aller, upon which stands Verden (7,669 inhabitants), not far from the Weser. 

 A huge cathedral overtowers the houses of the town. At Verden we already find 

 ourselves within the circle of attraction of Bremen (111,039 inhabitants). 



Charlemagne made that city the seat 

 of a bishop, and during the Middle Ages 

 it was one of the great maritime towns of 

 Germany. Bremen mariners frequented 

 the North Sea and the Baltic, they 

 founded Riga in 1156, and took part in 

 the Crusades. It is still a so-called " free 

 city," and upon its market-place stands 

 a " Roland," such as may be seen in 

 several other towns of Northern Ger- 

 many. These statues do not represent 

 the paladin, but are symbolical of the 

 right of jurisdiction, Roland being used 

 in the sense of " tribunal," or " place of 

 law." The statue holds a sword in the 

 right hand, and at its feet lie a head and 

 a hand, symbolizing the power over life 

 and limb enjoyed by the magistrates of 

 Bremen. The stormy year 1848 infused 

 fresh life into the municipal institutions 

 of Bremen, and it is only since then that 

 Jews have been allowed to settle in the 

 town. 



The old city, on the right bank of the 

 Weser, boasts of a cathedral, a curious 

 town-hall of the fifteenth century, and a 

 modern exchange. A bust of Olbers, the 

 astronomer, who was a native of the town, 

 has been placed in the public garden 

 into which the old fortifications have been 

 converted. The suburbs towards the 



north and east contain the private residences of the merchants, whilst the southern 

 suburb is mostly inhabited by labourers, sailors, gardeners, and small shop- 

 keepers. 



Bremen has its outports, for at low water vessels drawing more than 5 feet 

 of water cannot get up to the city. Formerly larger merchantmen anchored at 

 Vegesack (3,593 inhabitants), a small town surrounded by country houses, or still 

 lower down the river, opposite Brake (2,354 inhabitants). In 1827, however, the 



6' 50* E.of G. 



5 Miles. 



