The Bremen Ratskeller is the council wine cellar (German: "

Ratskeller Ratskeller (German: "council's cellar", pl. ''Ratskeller'', historically ''Rathskeller'') is a name in German-speaking countries for a bar or restaurant located in the basement of a city hall (''Rathaus'') or nearby. Many taverns, nightclubs, ba ...

") of the Townhall of Bremen. Since it was erected in the year 1405,

German wine German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Ancient Rome, Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of German wine is produced in the state of Rhine ...

s were stored and sold there. With its history over 600 years the Ratskeller of

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

is one of the oldest

wine cellar A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system. ...

s of Germany, furthermore the oldest wine barrel of Germany, a wine from Rüdesheim which is dated 1653, is stored here. In the cellar there has long been a traditional

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...

and today a large part of it is a gourmet

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

History

Since 1330, the Council of Bremen held the privilege of white wine which was valid until 1815. No citizen could sell wine without the permission of the Council. All wines had to be stored in the Cellar of the Council. The purpose was to control the prices and the payment of taxes. With about 650 varieties the Ratskeller has the world's greatest selection of German wines exclusively; in total, there are about 1,200 different spirits available.

Rooms of the cellar

Unser_Lieben_Frauen_Kirchhof_und_Ratskeller

* The large Hall * In front of the Bacchus * Hauff's Hall * The Rose Cellar * The Rooms for the

Senate of Bremen The Senate of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (German: Senat der Freien Hansestadt Bremen) is the government of the German city-state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Various senate-like institutions have existed in Bremen since medieval times. Th ...

and the Kaiser * The Bacchus Cellar * Treasure Room

Famous guests

References

Literature

* Hermann Entholt: ''The Ratskeller in Bremen''. Translated from the German by Harold Styring, Bremen 1930.

External links

www.rathaus.bremen.de (Bremen's official website on its townhall): ''Ratskeller/Council Cellar – The Ratskeller of Rathaus''
*http://www.bremer-ratskeller.eu/