Germany: The City of Bremen - The Schnoor Quarter

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• published: 01 Jan 2013
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On this 1st of January I wish all of you a very Happy New Year. May 2013 bring you many moments of joy and happiness. Let me invite you for a short walk through the Schnoor area in the City of Bremen. Schnoor is the name of a street in the oldest part of the city of Bremen and also a name for the oldest quarter itself. The district owes its name to the old ship trade. The passages between the houses were often associated with occupations or objects. Here are the roots of the Hanseatic city of Bremen. The Schnoor quarter had been the economic centre since early history. Fishermen, craftsmen and traders were the earliest Bremen folk and settled in the 10th century in the vicinity of the river. They built thatched cottages on the little island between the rivers Weser and Balge. Today the oldest houses date back to the 15th century. Most of them are from the 17th and 18th centuries. While other parts of Bremen developed with plots of about one square kilometer and merchant's villas, the plots in the Schnoor have areas which are just enough for a single houses on 55 square meters. The narrow streets were not suitable for the increase in traffic from the 19th century. The quarter became one of the poorest parts of Bremen, a situation that meant renovations were unaffordable. During the Second World War the Schnoor suffered only slight damage. But by the mid-1950s the houses were in a pitiable state. The Senate of the Free Hanseatic Town of Bremen decided in 1959 to rebuild the historic area of the Schnoor. House owners were invited to restore rundown buildings with financial support from the State of Bremen. After 1970 the Schnoor became a historic district under official heritage conservation through the State Monument Authority. Source: Wikipedia