Haus der Sieben Faulen

Haus der Sieben Faulen stands on Böttcherstraße in Bremen, surrounded by traditional North German architecture and cultural landmarks. Stepped gables, dormers, and arcades give the building a distinctive street presence.

Ludwig Roselius commissioned the building, which Eduard Scotland and Alfred Runge completed in 1927. The original premises housed Roselius’s coffee company advertising department and the Deutscher Werkbund association of craftsmen. War damage led to rebuilding in 1954, while the design continued to draw on Bremen’s story of seven brothers. They travelled the world, returned with practical skills, dug drainage ditches, and built a dyke against the Weser’s floods.

A nearby fountain by Bernhard Hoetger presents the brothers humorously, while Aloys Röhr’s sculptures above them show pride and industry. Tea, toys, and gifts now fill the building’s shops, adding everyday activity to its architectural setting. The contrast between the playful fountain and the determined figures above creates the clearest detail: seven once-dismissed brothers become a story of useful work.