exploring Bremen & its surrounding areas
You are here: worth seeing in Walle district
Through Walle district to the industrial harbors (2/2)
The Union Brewery on Theodorstraße
If you find yourself in the Osterfeuerberg district, a visit to the Union Brewery on Theodorstraße is highly recommended. Originally founded in 1907 by local innkeepers, the brewery closed in 1968. Like many smaller breweries in other major German cities, it fell victim to intense competition. However, with new investors, the brewery reopened in 2015 and has since established itself in the local market with its quality beers. Its own gastronomy, featuring a cozy rustic atmosphere and kitchen, has certainly contributed to its success.
Brick exterior, stainless steel interior: A view of one of the brewery halls featuring a selection of self-produced beer varieties
Next door, the action heats up as an ensemble at the Bremer Kriminal Theater brings crime stories to the stage. Classics like Arsen & Spitzenhäubchen (Arsenic & Old Lace) or Ladykillers are among the performances.
An open gate into the Lindenhof district in the Gröpelingen neighborhood from Stapelfeldtstraße to Liegnitzstraße
But back to the harbor. Passing by Waller Cemetary on Bremerhavener Straße and turning left at the large intersection leads you to Waterfront. As they say, those who talk about it live longer, and so the shopping mall celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2018 - a timespan that the predecessor experiment Spacepark as a space adventure world never reached. It met the same fate as the traditional shipyard "AG Weser", which previously built ships on this site: bankruptcy.
A model of the "AG Weser" shipyard under glass at Focke-Museum
In 1983,the shipyard known locally as "Use Akschen" - closed its gates for good after 140 years and around 1,400 new ship constructions, despite all rescue attempts. During the tanker boom of the ‘70s, even supertankers for Greek shipping magnate Colocotronis left the yard from Helgen. Today, only a administrative building form 1905, a simple brick structure, and another adjacent building from 1930 remain. Both structures have been under historic preservation since 2006.
Shopping first, then chilling? Even a beach bar invites you
Between the Waterfront complex and Weser bank, there’s plenty of space for open-air dining and public benches - truly a nice place with river views on sunny days. From a dock, the Weser Ferry operates from April to October between event venue PIER 2 near Waterfront and Lankenauer Höft on the opposite Weser bank.
The small passenger ferry does not operate year-round; for details, check with the shipping company. In the background on the other side, you see Lankenauer Höft and the cranes of Neustädter Harbor.
Next to PIER 2, the grain handling facility overlooks the turning basin of Timber and Factories Harbor toward Überseestadt on the opposite bank, where the artificially created Waller Sand beach opened in 2019. While you can enjoy the sun here, due to ship traffic, you must not enter the water. The massive grain handling facility (photo at top) was rebuilt between 1947 and 1950 and is now a protected monument.
Backlit view from the grain facility across the turning basin toward Überseestadt with Waller Sand
From Waterfront, drive via Ludwig-Plate-Straße then into Use Akschen Straße or Kap-Horn-Straße/Schleusenweg into the harbor area of Industrial Harbors. Along the way, you pass Kap-Horn Harbor. At its end stands the former U-boat bunker Hornisse. The concrete structure was primarily built by forced laborers during World War II as a construction dock for shipyard "AG Weser", but the U-boat segments were never assembled or constructed here - the conversion to a U-boat bunker was never completed. Given that such structures inherently resist massive violence, the costly project was abandoned, and instead, the bunker’s roof served in 1968/69 as a solid foundation for an office building. The bunker with its two U-shaped chambers even became a filming location on October 22, 2017 for the ARD series Tatort (Bremen episode: back to light). Indeed, the victim was recovered from water inside this unsightly structure. Incidentally, you can also view this unusual ensemble from a distance during a Weser cruise from Bremen to Bremerhaven.
Somehow eerie: the U-boat bunker Hornisse at Kap-Horn Harbor
On the other side of the narrow peninsula,the basins of Industrial Harbors stretch along Harbor Canal (Hüttenhafen, Kohlehafen, Kalihafen, Harbors E and F), primarily built between 1907 and 1913 for bulk goods. To avoid tidal influences in Unterweser, a lock was installed between river and harbor. While the harbors are still operational, ship traffic is far less than in the past. Nevertheless, you might get lucky as a spotter and witness a lock operation or ship movement - you can get very close here.
Seagoing coasters and inland vessels at Hüttenhafen
Just a few river meters away from the harbors, iron ore has been processed since 1908. The ore primarily came from Sweden, the coal from the Ruhr region,when Norddeutsche Hütte began production. During World War II, aerial bombs ended steel production - the plant was destroyed. In 1954, Klöckner Group purchased the abandoned site and planned a new factory with storage areas. For this, two villages had to be relocated. In 1955, village Osterort vanished from reality and maps; in 1957, followed Mittelsbüren. However, one of the old thatched-roof farmhouses was carefully dismantled and faithfully reconstructed at Focke-Museum’s Gut Riensberg estate. Today, the house Mittelsbüren conveys rural life in bygone times through its interiors.
View of the steel plant from the Weser
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Further information
Union Brauerei Bremen GmbH (Brewery)
Theodorstraße 13
28219 Bremen
Phone: +49 (0)421 8982160
Fax: +49 (0)421 89821628
Email: info@brauerei-bremen.de
https://brauerei-bremen.de
Open: Monday - Friday from 4 PM, Saturday, Sunday from 12 PM, special opening hours on holidays
Bremer kriminal theater
Theodorstraße 13a
28219 Bremen
Phone: +49 (0)421 16691758
Fax: +49 (0)421 16691759
Email: mail@Bremer-kriminal-theater.de
www.Bremer-kriminal-theater.de
Kulturhaus Walle Brodelpott e.V.
Schleswiger Str. 4
28219 Bremen
Phone: +49 (0)421 3962101
Email: info@kulturhauswalle.de
https://hafenarchiv.de
Open: Monday - Friday 10 AM - 6 PM and by appointment
Hal över
Büro Schlachte 2
28195 Bremen
Phone: +49 (0)421 338989
Email: info@hal-oever.de
www.hal-oever.de
Open: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9 AM - 3 PM, Wednesday 9 AM - 5 PM
Through Woltmershausen to Lankenauer Höft
A truly maritime bike tour takes you from the Stephani Bridge through Hohentorshafen and Woltmershausen all the way to Lankenauer Höft, which is almost entirely surrounded by water. Behind the Höft, several ships, including the 1957-built tugboat Greif, are moored in an unrestricted section of Neustädter Harbor. This view of the harbor marks the end of this tour.
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Round trip: from the city center to the Weser weir & back
Starting from Tiefer or Altenwall, the section of the Weser riverbank in front of Schnoor and diagonally opposite the DGzRS (German Maritime Search and Rescue Service), the Planetarium, and the Observatory on the other side of the river, a beautiful path for pedestrians and cyclists runs directly along the water upstream towards the Weser weir. After crossing the Weser weir, the return route takes you back via Stadtwerder.
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Weser cruise from Bremen to Bremerhaven
Of course, you can take a car for a visit to Bremerhaven from Bremen or board the regional train at the main station. However, with suitable weather and enough time, it is more interesting to cover the route on the Weser by ship. The shipping company "Hal över" operates the connection from May to September. The ship departs from the Martinianleger near the city center along the Schlachte. Those who wish can even take their bicycle with them; additionally, you can pre-book a breakfast onboard.
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Focke-Museum
Every city has its history, and in many cities, there is a museum that tells this story. In the Hanseatic city, it is the Focke Museum in the Riensberg district, where urban history is presented most vividly. The "Bremer State Museum of Art and Cultural History" was established in 1924 by merging two collections: the Gewerbemuseum, founded in 1884, and the Historisches Museum für bremische Altertümer (Historical Museum for Bremen Antiquities), founded six years later. The museum's founder, who passed away in 1922, also gave it his name.
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Überseestadt
When the Overseas Port (Überseehafen) needed renovation, the decision was made in 1991 in the Hanseatic city to simply close the basin instead. In 1998, the Overseas Port was finally filled with sand that had been dredged from the Außenweser. Along with the also decommissioned but still existing Europa Harbor as a harbor basin, this formed the basis for the conceptual development and creation of today's Überseestadt.
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A stroll through the Neustadt
The Alte Neustadt, as part of today's neighborhood, was only established in the 17th century. The planned expansion of the city was also prompted by the increasing threat posed by the development of offensive weapons. Remnants of the fortifications built at that time are still present today as parks, but there is much more to discover, such as the "Kleine Roland".
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Vegesack
The most interesting area extends around the ferry terminal. From the seats of the nearby cafés and restaurants, you can almost watch the ferry operations. In front of the square stand the enormous lower jaws of a blue whale. Measuring 7.1 meters long, up to 1 meter wide, and weighing 1.2 tons, these bones belonged to a 26-meter-long animal that the port town received as a gift in 1961.
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Bremerhaven - Überseehafen (Overseas Port)
In addition to the Old Harbor (now the Museum Harbor), which was the first to be built, other ports were later added. Adjacent to the New Harbor lies Kaiserhafen I, the first in a series of additional harbor basins. Even a glance into this initial section of the expansive port area reveals a different world of maritime activity - one of large ships. And we will see even larger ones along the five-kilometer-long quay on the Weser.
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