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 (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

, 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 The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

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 The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

until the late 1970s. The situation changed with the '' Venice Charter 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 convent founded in October 2002 is located in the Schnoor, as is St. John's Church, 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