Schnoor is a neighbourhood in the medieval centre of the German city 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 cons ...

, and the only part of it that has preserved a medieval character. The neighbourhood owes its name to old handicrafts associated with shipping. The alleys between the houses were often associated with occupations or objects: There was an area in which ropes and cables were produced (string = ''Schnoor'') and a neighboring area, where wire cables and anchor chains were manufactured (wire = ''Wieren''). Schnoor is also the name of the main street in this neighbourhood. Another street there is Marterburg.

History

In the Hanseatic city of Bremen, the Schnoor was one of the poorer corners. While the rich merchants settled in the Obernstraße (Upper Street), which was meant as well geographically (ridge of the dune) as socially, or in the Langenstraße (Long street, along the ''Balge'', Bremen's first harbour), the Schnoor developed in the 10th century as a district of fishermen. The inhabitants built thatched cottages on the little island between the rivers

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...

and Balge. Therefore, during its first centuries it was liable to high floods. The first ferry service was established here, and the first bridge crossing the Weser was built around the year 1240. You can find an old wall and parts of a round tower which was erected around 1200, near the so-called ''Marterburg''. In the 13th century

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friars had settled and their St. John's church was constructed in the following decades.

Development

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 kilometre and merchant's villas, the plots in the Schnoor have areas which are just enough for a single houses on 55 square metres. 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 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

the Schnoor suffered only slight damage, so that owners of the houses had to pay a ''Lastenausgleich'' after 1945. 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. This development was in contrast to the common practice in many towns and cities in

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 betwee ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

until the late 1970s. The situation changed with the ''

Venice Charter ''The Venice Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites'' is a set of guidelines, drawn up in 1964 by a group of conservation professionals in Venice, that provides an international framework for the conservation and rest ...

for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites'' (1964) so that in 1973 the Schnoor became a historic district under official heritage conservation through the State Monument Authority. One of the most famous houses which has been preserved in its original state is the ''Schifferhaus'' in the street of ''Stavendamm''. Another historic building is the Landherrnamt (1856) which initially housed the authorities administering the State of Bremen. The Birgittenkloster (Convent of Saint Birgitta), a small

Bridgettine The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Savior (; abbreviated OSsS), is a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta or Bridget of Sweden in 1344, and approved by Pope Urban ...

convent founded in October 2002 is located in the Schnoor, as is

St. John's Church St. John's Church, Church of St. John, or variants, thereof, (Saint John or St. John usually refers to John the Baptist, but also, sometimes, to John the Apostle or John the Evangelist) may refer to the following churches, former churches or other ...

, a listed building with a history going back to the 14th century. St. John's Church File:Schnoor-Concordenhaus.jpg, The "Concordenhaus" (1630) File:Schnoor_Quarter,_bremen0014.JPG, Front of the "Amtsfischerhaus" (1759) File:Schnoor Quarter, bremen 0049.jpg, Old restaurant "Kaiser Friedrich" (1630) File:Schnoor Quarter, bremen 0032.JPG, New restaurant in an old house File:Schnoor Quarter, bremen0021.JPG, Entrance to the "Katzencafé" File:SchnoorViertel-2.jpg, Old Tea House, street "Hinter der Holzpforte" File:Schnoor Quarter, bremen0022.JPG, Schnoor 37 (1601) File:Schnoor Quarter, bremen0024.JPG, Part of the street "Schnoor", way to the new houses File:Unknown buildings and white car.jpg, New houses, end of 20th century File:Birgittenkloster-01.jpg, Birgittenkloster File:StJohann-01.jpg, St John's Church

Literature

*''Der Schnoor in Bremen. A portrait.'' Texts in German, English, French and Spanish. Edition Temmen, Bremen 2004.

References

External links

Website of some merchants in the Schnoor

{{Authority control Populated places in Bremen (city) Streets in Bremen (city) Pedestrian streets in Germany