Bremen and Bremerhaven: Germany’s historic gateway to the New World

After the discovery of North America, trade with the New World became Bremen’s bread and butter, and launched a wave of emigrants who populated the new continent.

Nicknamed “The Last Bar Before New York,” the Treffpunkt Kaiserhafen is a workingman’s bar and restaurant near the ship terminal in Bremerhaven. Photo by Katherine Rodeghier, c 2012

Meeting Marzipan Men and Hanseatic Sailors in Lübeck, Germany

Designated a free imperial city in 1226, it became the capital of the Hanseatic League, a powerful confederation of 200 city-states banded together against pirates and warring nations to protect their trade in the Baltic.

The fortified Holsten Gate stands at the entrance to the old city. Photo by Katherine Rodeghier