Germany · Bremen, Rathaus with Roland

The issue belongs to the German 2-euro series “Bundesländer”, which began in 2006. In this series, the state holding the presidency of Bundesrat at the beginning of the respective year of issue is featured each year. During the 2009/2010 term of office, Bremen provided the President of Bundesrat, Mayor Jens Böhrnsen. The coin therefore does not refer to an anniversary, but to Bremen’s status as one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic. The state of Freie Hansestadt Bremen comprises the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven.

Bremer Rathaus was built from 1405 to 1410 as the seat of the council. Its construction expressed the political self-understanding of the city’s citizens, who increasingly regulated their affairs independently in opposition to ecclesiastical and secular claims to authority. At the beginning of the 17th century, under the direction of the master builder Lüder von Bentheim, the building received its richly articulated façade in the Weser Renaissance style. To this day, the Rathaus serves as the seat of the Senate and the mayor.

Bremer Roland was erected in 1404. The stone figure, over five metres high, depicts the follower of Charlemagne known from medieval traditions. In the cities of the Holy Roman Empire, Roland figures became symbols of urban rights, particularly freedom of the market and jurisdiction. In Bremen, the figure therefore embodies the city’s claimed freedom and self-government. The shield and sword emphasise this legal and political significance.

Rathaus and Roland stand together on the market square, the historic centre of public life. Since 2004, they have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage. The decisive factor was their exceptionally cohesive combination as evidence of civic autonomy and urban constitutional development. For the Bundesländer series, this ensemble was therefore suitable as an indication of Bremen’s long tradition as a free city and its statehood, which continues to this day within German federalism.