Bremen (), officially the Free
Hanseatic City of Bremen (german: Freie Hansestadt Bremen; nds, Free Hansestadt Bremen), is the smallest and least populous of
Germany's 16 states. It is informally called ("State of Bremen"), although the term is sometimes used in official contexts. The state consists of the city of
Bremen and its seaport
exclave,
Bremerhaven, surrounded by the larger state of
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
in northern Germany.
Geography
The state of Bremen consists of two non-contiguous territories. These enclaves contain
Bremen, officially the 'City' (''Stadtgemeinde Bremen'') which is the state capital, and the city of
Bremerhaven (''Stadt Bremerhaven''). Both are located on the River
Weser; Bremerhaven ("Bremen's harbour") is further downstream on the mouth of the Weser with open access to the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...
. Both enclaves are completely surrounded by the neighbouring State of
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
(''Niedersachsen''). The highest point in the state is in
Friedehorst Park (32.5m).
History
When the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
was dissolved in 1806, the
Free Imperial City
In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...
of Bremen (as of 1646, after earlier privileges of autonomy of 1186) was not
mediatised (incorporated into the enlarged territory of one of the surrounding monarchies) but became a sovereign state officially titled the ''
Free Hanseatic City of Bremen''. Her currency was the
Bremen thaler (until 1873). In 1811, the
First French Empire annexed the
city-state
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
in an effort to enforce
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
's
Berlin Decree, closing the European continent to British trade.
At the
Congress of Vienna of 1815, Bremen's emissary, and later
burgomaster
Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chie ...
,
Johann Smidt, lobbied successfully to have the city's independence confirmed as one of the 39 sovereign states within the new
German Confederation
The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...
.
In 1827, Bremen bought land at the mouth of the Weser from the
Kingdom of Hanover, in order to build a new seaport,
Bremerhaven. This ensured that Bremen remained Germany's main port of embarkation for emigrants to the Americas, and later that it developed as an entrepôt for Germany's late developing colonial trade.
In 1867, the year following
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
's defeat of
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and its annexation of Hanover, Bremen joined the
North German Confederation that became the
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
in 1871, as one of its 26 constituent states.
As an international port and industrial centre, Bremen had a strong left and liberal tradition. in January 1913, at the last elections to the
Imperial Reichstag in Berlin, the
Social Democrats (SPD) secured over half the vote, or 53.4%. Left Liberals (Linksliberale) took another 41.4%. Only 5.1% went to the Conservatives. In
November 1932, at the last broadly free election of the
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a Constitutional republic, constitutional federal republic for the first time in ...
, the
Social Democrats won 31.2% of the vote, and the
Communists (KPD) 16.8%, compared to 20.8% for the
Nazis.
When, after the heavily compromised national elections of March 1933, the Nazis still achieved only a third of the popular vote in Bremen (32.7%),
the regime dissolved the state parliament, the ''Bürgerschaft'' and its executive Senate. Bremen remained for the next twelve years under the direct authority of a party
Gauleiter. During these years, Bremen's small Jewish community (1,438 people registered at the beginning of 1933) was destroyed through coerced emigration and
deportation to death camps in the occupied east.
Allied bombing destroyed the majority of the historical Hanseatic city as well as 60% of the built-up area of Bremen during World War II. The
British 3rd Infantry Division under
General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...
Lashmer Whistler captured Bremen in late April 1945. The British handed it over to the Americans; Bremen became an American-controlled port for the supply of the US
zones of occupation
Germany was already de facto occupied by the Allies from the real fall of Nazi Germany in World War II on 8 May 1945 to the establishment of the East Germany on 7 October 1949. The Allies (United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Fra ...
in
west Berlin and southern Germany.
Bremen was reestablished as a state in 1947 and, from 1949, was again known as the ''Free Hanseatic City of Bremen'', becoming a Land or state of the new
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
, informally referred to as "
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...
" until 1990.
Politics
Political system
The legislature of the state of Bremen is the 83-member
Bürgerschaft (citizens' assembly), elected by the citizens in the two cities of
Bremen and
Bremerhaven.
The executive is constituted by the
Senate of Bremen, elected by the Bürgerschaft. The Senate is chaired by the President of the senate (''Senatspräsident''), who is also one of the
mayors of the city of Bremen (''Bürgermeister'') and is elected directly by the Bürgerschaft. The Senate selects of its members as a second mayor who serves as deputy of the president. In contrast to the Federal Chancellor of Germany or other German states, the President of the Senate has no authority to override senators on policy, which is decided upon by the senate collectively. Since 1945, the Senate has continuously been dominated by the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
.
On a municipal level, the two cities in the state are administered separately:
* The administration of the
city of Bremen is headed by the two mayors and controlled by the portion of the
Bürgerschaft elected in the city of Bremen (68 members).
*
Bremerhaven, on the other hand, has a municipal assembly distinct from the state legislature and an administration under a distinct head mayor (''Oberbürgermeister'') and a distinct second mayor.
Political majorities
In post-war Bremen, the port, shipyards and related industries sustained a large and unionised working class. As before 1933, this translated into support for the Social Democrats, considered Bremen's natural governing party. However, in the 1980s mechanisation of the port and closure of the city's leading shipbuilder induced an employment crisis and shook the confidence of the party's traditional voter base. The SPD, which had still polled 51% in 1987, lost its effective majority. The once dominant left-liberal vote split, and coalition government became the norm.
The
2019 Bremen state election
The 2019 Bremen state election was held on 26 May 2019 to elect the members of the Bürgerschaft of Bremen, as well as the city councils of Bremen and Bremerhaven. The election took place on the same day as the 2019 European Parliament election.
T ...
was held on 26 May 2019 to elect the members of the
Bürgerschaft of Bremen, as well as the city councils of
Bremen and
Bremerhaven. The election took place on the same day as the
2019 European Parliament election
The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peop ...
. The
Christian Democratic Union (CDU), for the first time, became the largest party in the Bürgerschaft, while the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
(SPD) fell to second place.
The Greens and
The Left made small gains. After the election, the SPD, Greens, and Left agreed to form a coalition government.
Carsten Sieling resigned as mayor and was replaced by fellow SPD member
Andreas Bovenschulte.
, -
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" , Party
! rowspan="2" , Votes
! rowspan="2" , %
! rowspan="2" , +/-
! colspan="2" , Seats
! rowspan="2" , Total
seats
! rowspan="2" , +/-
! rowspan="2" , Seats %
, -
!
Bremen
!
Bremerhaven
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left ,
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
, align= 391,709
, align= 26.7
, align= 4.3
, align= 20
, align= 4
, align= 24
, align= 4
, align= 28.6
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left ,
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
(SPD)
, align= 366,375
, align= 24.9
, align= 7.9
, align= 19
, align= 4
, align= 23
, align= 7
, align= 27.4
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left ,
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)
, align= 256,181
, align= 17.4
, align= 2.3
, align= 13
, align= 3
, align= 16
, align= 2
, align= 19.0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left ,
The Left (Linke)
, align= 166,378
, align= 11.3
, align= 1.8
, align= 9
, align= 1
, align= 10
, align= 2
, align= 11.9
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left ,
Alternative for Germany (AfD)
, align= 89,939
, align= 6.1
, align= 0.6
, align= 4
, align= 1
, align= 5
, align= 1
, align= 6.0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left ,
Free Democratic Party (FDP)
, align= 87,420
, align= 5.9
, align= 0.7
, align= 4
, align= 1
, align= 5
, align= 1
, align= 6.0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left ,
Citizens in Rage
Citizens in Rage (german: Bürger in Wut (BIW)) is a German right-wing populist voters' association represented in the state parliament of Bremen. It is led by Jan Timke.
It was founded in March 2004 as a successor to the Bremen section of the ...
(BiW)
, align= 35,808
, align= 2.4
, align= 0.8
, align= 0
, align= 1
, align= 1
, align= 0
, align= 1.2
, -
! colspan=8,
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left ,
Die PARTEI (PARTEI)
, align= 24,433
, align= 1.7
, align= 0.2
, align= 0
, align= 0
, align= 0
, align= ±0
, align= 0
, -
,
, align=left ,
Free Voters (FW)
, align= 14,205
, align= 1.0
, align= 1.0
, align= 0
, align= 0
, align= 0
, align= ±0
, align= 0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left ,
Pirate Party Germany (Piraten)
, align= 14,143
, align= 1.0
, align= 0.5
, align= 0
, align= 0
, align= 0
, align= ±0
, align= 0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left , Others
, align= 22,915
, align= 1.6
, align=
, align= 0
, align= 0
, align= 0
, align= ±0
, align= 0
, -
! align=right colspan=2, Total
! align= 1,469,506
! align= 100.0
! align=
! align= 69
! align= 15
! align= 84
! align= 1
! align=
, -
! align=right colspan=2, Voter turnout
! align=
! align= 64.1
! align= 13.9
! align=
! align=
! align=
! align=
! align=
Coat of arms
The
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
and
flag of Bremen state include:
File:Flag of Bremen.svg, Flag of Bremen
File:Bremen greater coat of arms.svg, Greater coat of arms
File:Bremen Wappen(Mittel).svg, Medium coat of arms
File:Bremen Wappen(Klein).svg, Lesser coat of arms
File:Bremen Wappen frei.svg, Coat of arms symbol
Economy
Bremen's post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
economy boomed in line with the West German ''
Wirtschaftswunder'' of the 1950s and 60s. This saw the growth, and permanent settlement, in Bremen of a large migrant worker population, drawn largely from
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
and southern Europe.
Some of the city's heavier industries failed to recover from the
oil-price-shock recession of the early 1970s. Specialist construction yards, ship outfitters and parts suppliers remain, but
AG Weser
Aktien-Gesellschaft „Weser" (abbreviated A.G. „Weser”) was one of the major German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1872 it was finally closed in 1983. All together, A.G. „Weser" built about 1,400 ...
(which employed 16,000 workers at its peak) and
Bremer Vulcan, Bremen's major shipbuilders, closed in 1983 and 1997 respectively. Further job losses were caused by the restructuring and increasing mechanisation of harbour-related activities and other industrial sectors. Semi and unskilled harbour workers found it very difficult to re-enter the labour market, and unemployment—for a period in the 1980s almost double the West German average—remained comparatively high.
At a time when structural change in the economy has forced Bremen to spend more on social services.
Suburbanisation has reduced population and tax revenue. Incorporating surrounding suburban municipalities, is not an option for Bremen as these belong to the state of Lower Saxony.
With financial assistance from the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
, and from the Federal Government, economic policy has focussed on supporting those established economic sectors that are based on advanced technology, such as aerospace and aircraft production, automobile production, maritime and logistics services, and on developing the education and business-park infrastructure for new science-based and digital enterprises. In this an important tole is accorded to the growing university sector. Further investment went into the revitalisation of the city centre but a culture-driven regeneration around entertainment and tourism was not very successful. Several experts described Bremen’s service sector as underdeveloped, due to a lack of major company headquarters.
At the turn of the new century, unemployment In Bremen stood at 13%, a rate matched in the Federal Republic only by the "new states" in former East Germany.
The unemployment rate stood at 10.2% in November 2022 and was the highest of all 16 German states.
Education
The
University of Bremen is the largest university in Bremen. It is one of 11 institutions classed as an "Elite university" in Germany, and teaches approximately 23,500 people from 126 countries. Bremen also has a
University of the Arts Bremen, a
University of Applied Sciences with campuses in both Bremen city and
Bremerhaven, and more recently the
Jacobs University Bremen, an international
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...
located in
Vegesack.
See also
*
Bombing of Bremen in World War II
*
Former countries in Europe after 1815
This article gives a detailed listing of all the countries, including puppet states, that have existed in Europe since the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to the present day. Each country has information separated into columns: name of the distinct co ...
*
Timeline of Bremen (city) history
References
External links
Official state portalOfficial governmental portalConstitution of the state, German only*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bremen, Free Hanseatic City of
States of the German Empire
States of the German Confederation
States of the North German Confederation
States of the Weimar Republic
History of Bremen (city)
History of Bremen (state)
NUTS 1 statistical regions of the European Union
States and territories established in 1646
1646 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
17th-century establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
States of Germany