BREM'EN, Ger. pron. brii'mcu (Brava, Bre mon of the Eighth Century, possibly the Pha biranunt of Ptolemy). A State and free city of Germany, on the Weser, about 50 miles from its mouth. Latitude 53° 5' N., longitude 8° 48' E. (Map: Germany, C 2). The State comprises an area of 99 square miles, the city, of only ten square miles. The latter, however, holds nearly three-fourths of the total population of the State. In addition to the city of Bremen the State of Bremen contains the cities of Vegesack and Bremerhaven. Bremen is divided into the old and the new town—the former on the right, the latter on the left side of the river, which is spanned by four bridges. The old town has crooked, narrow streets and a quaint appearance; it forms the business district of the city. The new town has broad, straight, well laid out streets lined with tall handsome buildings. The ramparts and bastions round the old town have been leveled, and the site converted into public promenades, which are laid out with excellent taste. Among the principal buildings, the cathe dral (built about 1160), the Gothic town hall (begun about 1405), with its famous wine-eellar, said to contain hock of the vintage of 1624, the exchange museum, the post-office. and the observa tory of Gibers, from which he discovered the planetoids Pallas and Vesta, are noteworthy.
The situation of Bremen makes it a great emporium of northwest Prussia. Besides its excellent water commimication, it is connected by railways with the whole of western and central Germany. Large vessels stop at Bremerhaven. where there is a spacious harbor constructed about 38 miles below Bremen. Vessels not draw ing more than seven feet of water can come up to the town itself. Altogether there are four harbors, including the 'Safety' or original har bor. Bremen carries on an extensive commerce with European countries, the United States of America, the West Indies, Africa, the East In dies, China, and Australia, and is the largest port in the Empire of Germany next to Ham burg. This commerce has shown a remarkable development since 1847, rising from 197,000,000 marks in that year, to 1,275,000,000 in 1891, and it has since increased, as is shown further on.
The chief imports are tobacco, coffee, sugar. cot ton, rice, skins, dye-woods. wines, timber. hemp. etc. Articles of food and raw materials constitute nearly 80 per cent. of all the imports, whereas manufactured articles make up less than 20 per cent. This partly explains why the United States has such a preponderance over the other countries in the matter of these imports. Of the 1,100,000,000 marks in value of imports brought into Bremen in 1900, the United States sent 37 per cent., which was more than the amount all the German States combined had sent, viz. 30 per cent. Great Britain's share was only 4.4 per cent., and that of the rest of Europe, 7 per cent. The growth of the total imports into Bremen and of those from Great Britain and from the United States may be seen from the following table: Thu, while in 1350 the imports from the United States were less than twice those of Great Britain, they were four and a half times as large forty years later, and while the total imports during that period increased more than six times, those from the United States increased fourteen t imes.
The growth of Bremen's own marine may be seen from the following figures: Year 'Vessels Tonnage 185. 79.000 18tl. 277 134,000 187. 174.000 188. 344 .s3.000 184. 405 406.000 183s 526 513.000 1900 571 583,000 The exports of Bremen eonsist of woolen goods, linens, glass, rags, wool, hemp, hides, oil-eake, wooden toys, etc. Large quantities of tobacco are reexported. With the exception of Hamburg, no Continental port ships so many emigrants to the United States as Bremen. Bremen has manufactures of woolens and cottons, cigars, paper, and starch, and extensive ship-building yards, breweries, distilleries, and sugar-refiner ies. It has steam communication with New York, !lull, Havana, the north coast of South America, etc., by vessels of the North German Lloyd Steamship Company.