Bremen – Town Hall and Roland statue in the market square

In the justification for its inscription in the World Heritage list, Bremen’s town hall is acknowledged as ‘an outstanding example of late Renaissance architecture in Northern Germany, the so-called Weser Renaissance’.

The building has remained almost unchanged for 600 years. Its two magnificent large Gothichalls, one above the other, represent Bremen's political importance as a free Hanseatic city. The UNESCO experts describe the Roland statue as‘ the most representative and one of the oldest of Roland statues erected as a symbol of market rights and freedom’. Bremen’s Roland statue does indeed embody the ideal of liberty. ‘I manifest your freedom’ says the inscription on the shield of the stone statue, erected in 1404. According to the locals, as long as that inscription remains, Bremen will stay free. Bremen’s town hall and Roland statue are remarkable examples of civic autonomy and sovereignty, as these developed within the Holy Roman Empire.