Bremen

Bremen (pop. 552,300), city in northwest Germany, situated on the Weser River, 38 mi (61 km) from Bremerhaven on the estuary. Founded by Charlemagne in A.D. 787, Bremen became a major medieval trading center, controlling its own small state within the Holy Roman Empire (from which it broke free in 1646), and acting as a leading force in the Hanseatic League of city-states. From 1806 to 1815 Bremen was in French hands. After the Congress of Vienna, it became one of the independent German states, and in 1871 merged with Bismarck's Germany. Commercial fishing, truck farming, and cattle raising are the main occupations in the rural areas surrounding the city. In the city itself, which retains much of its medieval character, the main occupations are shipbuilding and import and export shipping.

See also: Germany.