Welcome to the classic Bremen Cathedral, also known as St. Peters Cathedral from the saint
Peter.
The site for the current Bremen Cathedral has been verified as a site of many religious
structures.
The place has a long and somewhat troublesome history.
The first religious structure on the site was a timber church constructed as early as
year 789.
The timber church didn't last for long though, as Saxons attacked and burned it just three
years later.
Another church, made of local sandstone, was established in 805.
This church later became important and played a central role when it came to converting
northern Germany and Scandinavia to Christianity.
During the early mid 1000th century, the church was in the process of being rebuilt and enlarged
but in 1041 most of Bremen, including the cathedral, was destroyed by a devastating
fire.
When the construction of a new church started, the church was given a Romanesque style, with
two stubby flat-topped towers on the west side and a flat timber ceiling.
Romanesque architectual style is also known as "Norman style", from the way the Normans
used to design their buildings; functional, compact and minimalistic.
In order to get the church up as soon as possible, they cut some corners and used parts of the
city walls as building material to reduce the costs.
This proved to be a major mistake, as the short-sightedness resulted in Saxons sacking
and the cathedral city in 1064.
To put it simple, the city of Bremen and its churches in particular, have had some rough
times.
However the church survived the Saxons sacking and it was later remodeled in the 13th century
to reflect the new architectural trend of the time; the Gothic Architecture.
The church was reconstructed using baked brick and the flat ceiling was changed to ribbed
vaulting which is one of the hallmark of Gothic church architecture.
The two towers and the front wall were blended together and a rose window was added.
The transition into a Gothic church continued in the late 15th century, when several new
chapels were added.
Due to the Protestant Reformation that swept through northern Germany, the church later
became a Lutheran church in 1638.
In January the very same year, the south tower collapsed causing severe damage to surrounding
buildings, killing eight people.
In 1660 a lightning struck the north tower and burned the roof which collapsed into the
nave destroying the roof.
The north tower was quickly rebuilt as a stubby, flat-roofed structure.
The south tower remained in its ruined form.
Bad luck and destruction had once again struck the Bremen Cathedral.
Due to conflict between different interests within the church, little effort was made
to restore the building to its former glory.
It was as late as in the 1880s that the citizens of Bremen decided to restore it.
Money was raised for the restoration and the work began 1888.
When restoring the building, much thought was given to the history of the site and the
different stages in has gone though.
The West Front of the cathedral reflects the Romanesque origins of the building whereas
the lower sections were restored to show the sandstone origins of the building.
The rest of the cathedral is built in the characteristic Hanseatic Brick style of northern
Germany.
The interior of the church was restored in the Gothic style making it difficult to see
the changes in style that occurred over time.
Reconstruction continued off and on until 1901 when the cathedral reopened.
During the Second World War, the cathedral was struck by a fire bomb during an Allied
air raid in 1943 which caused severe damage to the building.
In 1945, a high explosive bomb caused a collapse of the roof vaulting.
During this stage, the structure was so severely damaged that it was feared that the building
would totally collapse.
However the ruins were stabilized and the cathedral was reconstructed in 1950.
From 1972 to 1981 the building was once again restored to the High Gothic form of the 1901
restoration which is the beautiful cathedral we can see today.
During the Middle Ages the towers had eight bells.
Today however, the towers house the cathedral's four bells.
The north tower has three bells whereas the south holds a single bell.
The oldest surviving bell is the "Maria Gloriosa cast in 1433 by the famous bell maker Ghert
Klinghe.
The other bells were removed and melted down for the war effort in World War II.
In 1951 two bells, "Hansa" and "Felicitas", were donated to the cathedral by former residents
living abroad.
In 1962 a prominent Bremen family donated a fourth bell, the "Brema", which hangs in
the south tower.
Bremen Cathedral is known for its long history of fine organs and music.
Besides the large organ, another important attraction is also the lead cellar, known
as "Bleikeller".
This basement is located beneath the nave which, even before the Reformation, had a
reputation as an excellent place to preserve the bodies of the dead in amazing form.
Today, eight mummies in glass-topped coffins can be seen down there.
The crypt has become the cathedral's most visited attraction for more than 300 years.
The cathedral also houses a museum was constructed in one of the side chapels in the 1970s cathedral
restoration.
The Cathedral Museum displays various items discovered in the tombs under the nave.
Twos interesting traditions with connection to the cathedral is that when a man reaches
the age of 30 and is not married, he must sweep the cathedral steps until a young lady
gives him a kiss which then releases him from his duty.
When a women who reach their thirtieth birthday unmarried, she must polish the cathedral doorknobs
in the company of friends and family until they all are released by the kiss of a young
man.