Bremen’s Old Town to the Schnoor District: A Guide to its Timeless Treasures

(20 reviews)

Bremen audio tour: Bremen’s Old Town to the Schnoor District: A Guide to its Timeless Treasures

This is a 1.2mi walking tour

It takes an average of 75 mins to complete.

Bremen

Germany

$9.99

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About the Tour

Bremen is a city of enduring stories, medieval charm, and remarkable architecture, making it a must-see destination in northern Germany. This walking tour invites you to dive into its history, legends, and iconic sites in an unforgettable journey through the heart of the city.

The tour starts on Brücke Herdentor (literally “herd gate bridge”), part of Bremen’s former city walls, where I’ll tell you about the city’s past fortifications. You’ll make your way to the awe-inspiring St. Peter’s Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece that’s stood proudly for centuries.

You’ll also be guided on a scenic walk along the Weser River, where you’ll get a sense of Bremen’s maritime and trade heritage.

The tour winds down in the Schnoor District, Bremen’s oldest and coziest neighborhood. Here, nestled between narrow lanes and half-timbered houses, I’ll tell you about the iconic Hochzeitshaus, or “Wedding House,” one of the smallest hotels in Germany.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

Explore the Alexander von Humboldt ship, a symbol of maritime heritage, and a modern-day watering hole
Wander through the bustling Bremen Town Hall Square, home to the Bremen Roland statue which honors the knight who stood for freedom and justice
Behold the Bismarck Monument, a tribute to the German chancellor under Kaiser Wilhelm I, who is credited with the unification of the German Empire in 1871
Stroll down vibrant Böttcherstraße, known for its expressionist architecture, art, and charming artisan shops
Discover the tranquil beauty of the Bible Garden and its scripture-inspired greenery
Appreciate the Church of Our Lady and its historical significance as the second-oldest church in Bremen
See the Town Musicians of Bremen statue, a beloved nod to the Brothers Grimm fairytale
Pass the Neptune Fountain and discover the mysterious Spitting Stone and the love story behind it

By the end of this 75-minute tour, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time and uncovered Bremen’s history, rich culture, and local legends. You’ll also have a treasure trove of unforgettable memories.

Tour Producer

Robin and the Tourguides Foster, Kusnir GbR

6 tours

Robin and the Tourguides is dedicated to creating exceptional, authentic experiences across northern Germany. Rated as the top tour company in Hamburg, we offer a variety of engaging and informative tours, blending fun with a deep respect for local history, culture, and community. Our guides have the freedom to shape their tours in ways that showcase their passion, knowledge, and creativity, ensuring every tour is unique, memorable, and led with genuine enthusiasm.

As a local company, we prioritize fair partnerships with local businesses and provide our employees and guides with supportive, fair working conditions. We work closely with small cafés, restaurants, breweries, and other community businesses, giving back to our local partners and fostering connections that enrich our guests’ experiences. Financially, we’re committed to sustainable practices, managing all transactions through GLS Bank, Germany's pioneer in social, environmental, and ecological banking.

Our commitment to the community extends to charitable work. We offer affordable guided tours for refugees in Hamburg and donate annually to impactful charities. Since 2015, our donations have supported causes such as Wikipedia, local cultural initiatives, Sprachbrücke-Hamburg, Westwind-Hamburg, and NABU Germany. More recently, we’ve focused on supporting Ukrainian refugees and have contributed to UNICEF and humanitarian aid.

Robin and the Tourguides offers more than just tours; we provide a heartfelt connection to Hamburg and northern Germany, one that values people, places, and the stories that bring them to life.

Preview Location

Location 6

Spitting Stone

It might be hard to find the spitting stone, but if you hear me, you should be near it. Just keep looking on the ground for a larger-than-normal cobblestone with an X on it. If you see anyone nearby spitting on the ground, chances are the spitting stone is there. Once you find... It might be hard to find the spitting stone, but if you hear me, you should be near it. Just keep looking on the ground for a larger-than-normal cobblestone with an X on it. If you see anyone nearby spitting on the ground, chances are the spitting stone is there. Once you find it, feel free to admire it. While you're looking, I’ll tell you about it.

The story starts as a love story between Gesche Margarethe Timm and Mr. Michael Christoph Gottfried—two lovers who decided to marry. The only problem was that Gesche was already married to a rotten wife-beater and drunkard, one Johann Gerhard Miltenberg. Well, as good fortune would have it, Mr. Miltenberg passed away in 1813. How lucky for Gesche! But as fate would have it, less than two years later, not only had Gesche's parents passed away, but all three of her children as well, whom she tirelessly cared for during their sick days. The local Bremen newspaper published the story, and Gesche was hailed as the "Angel of Bremen" for her relentless care of her many sick family members.

With all this attention and positive press, it was just a matter of time before she would try starting a family again. It was no surprise to many that Gesche became pregnant by Mr. Gottfried, who, shortly afterward, fell ill and married Gesche on his deathbed. Oh, what a fate Gesche had to endure. One might even think her bad luck would finally come to an end when, six years later, Paul Thomas Zimmermann proposed to her... only for him to meet an untimely death shortly after. How cruel could fate be to one person?!

Well, soon the truth came to light. One evening, Gesche offered some ham to her landlord, Johann Christoph Rumpff, who noticed white spots on it. He had been suspicious for a while about Gesche and all the death surrounding her life, so he had the white crumbs analyzed by a doctor, who concluded it was arsenic! It turns out, Gesche had been mixing arsenic with butter, creating what was called "mouse-butter," a popular form of rat poison at the time, and serving it not only to her family but to friends as well. She was a psychopathic serial killer!

On her 43rd birthday, March 6th, 1828, she was arrested and taken to a detention cell, where she was interrogated for almost three years by a senator named Franz Friedrich Droste. During this time, the two actually became somewhat friendly, as he pitied her mental state of delusion and schizophrenia. Altogether, Gesche confessed in great detail how she had murdered 15 people with mouse-butter and watched them all die painful, agonizing deaths.

Gesche was condemned to death and executed on April 21st, 1831—the last state execution in Bremen—before a crowd of 30,000 people right here on the steps of the church. Gesche Gottfried was beheaded, and as her rolling head tumbled through the square, the crowd began to spit on it. Eventually, her head stopped where the spitting stone is today. In disgust at Gesche's deplorable and despicable murders, it became a tradition to spit on the stone when passing by!

This stone, however, is not the original. In 1935, during the Nazi regime, someone thought it appropriate to paint a Nazi swastika on the spitting stone, inviting people to spit on it. This was unacceptable to the Nazis, who quickly washed the paint away. However, when the swastika reappeared the next day on the spitting stone, it had gone too far, and the stone was removed from the square. After the Second World War, a duplicate spitting stone was placed here to reinvigorate the long tradition of spitting!

Well, enough about the spitting stone. Let's make our way to the next location. face towards the large Cathedral, the St.Peter's Cathedral and head towards the right hand corner. You will see a large rectangular pillar with a man on a horse. That is our next location! I’ll meet you there. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Brücke Herdentor
Shepherd with pigs
Church of Our Lady
Fountain of Neptune
"Spuckstein" am Bremer Dom
Bismarck monument
St. Petri Dom Bremen
Bleikeller
Bible garden
Bremen Town Hall
Town Musicians of Bremen
Bratwurstglöck´l A. Stockhinger & Sohn
Bremen Chocolade HACHEZ
Bremen Roland
Bremen Hole
Bremen Market Square
Schüttingstraße
Spitzen Gebel - Bremen
Bringer of Light
Böttcherstraße
Glockenspiel House
Alexander von Humboldt
Martinianleger
St. John's Church
Schnoor
Bremer Geschichtenhaus | bras e.V.
Restaurant Katzen-Café - Bremen

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Hillmannpl. 20, 28195 Bremen, Germany
Total distance

2km
Final location
Balgebrückstraße 20, 28195 Bremen, Germany
Distance back to start location

759.15m

Directions to Starting Point

less than a ten minute walk from the central station (Hauptbahnhof), The tour starts directly on the "Brücke Herdentor" or the Herdentor bridge on the side closest to the windmill.

Google coordinates are: 53.0794670149964, 8.809511881792183

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

St.Peters Cathedral Museum, Town Hall tour of the inside, Stockhinger & Son's Bratwurst stand, Hachéz Chocolate store, Spitzen Gebel bar, Bremen Bonbon Manufaktur, Roselius Museum, Alexander von Humboldt restaurant and bar, Shops in the Schnoor district, Becks im Schnoor restaurant

Best time of day

This tour is flexible, allowing you to explore at your own pace, but please note that opening times for churches and shops may vary. Additionally, this tour cannot proceed if the banks of the Weser River are overflowing. Enjoy your exploration of Bremen’s historic charm!

Precautions

It can get very crowded in the city and there are pick-pockets. Please do mind your personal belongings and valuebles at all times.

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App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

Google Play Store

Questions and Reviews

4.7 / 5

20 Ratings

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Sense of Place

100%

Navigation

80%

Production Quality

100%

Depth of Info

90%

Route

90%

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Bremen’s Old Town to the Schnoor District: A Guide to its Timeless Treasures

About the Tour

Tour Producer

Robin and the Tourguides Foster, Kusnir GbR

Preview Location

Location 6

Spitting Stone

How VoiceMap Works

Major Landmarks

Brücke Herdentor

Shepherd with pigs

Church of Our Lady

Fountain of Neptune

"Spuckstein" am Bremer Dom

Bismarck monument

St. Petri Dom Bremen

Bleikeller

Bible garden

Bremen Town Hall

Town Musicians of Bremen

Bratwurstglöck´l A. Stockhinger & Sohn

Bremen Chocolade HACHEZ

Bremen Roland

Bremen Hole

Bremen Market Square

Schüttingstraße

Spitzen Gebel - Bremen

Bringer of Light

Böttcherstraße

Glockenspiel House

Alexander von Humboldt

Martinianleger

St. John's Church

Schnoor

Bremer Geschichtenhaus | bras e.V.

Restaurant Katzen-Café - Bremen