Havenhaus

Havenhaus stands in Bremen-Vegesack with views over the Weser, a historic harbour building with a gabled roof and southern bay window. Its stone walls date from 1645 to 1648. It was one of the area’s first larger stone houses, built as the Vegesack harbour master’s office during the seventeenth century.

In 1653, Swedish troops occupied Vegesack, and gun emplacements strengthened the building during the First Bremen-Swedish War. A major fire destroyed much of Vegesack in 1719, but the building survived. In 1671, Bremen took over harbour administration and leased the premises to Heinrich Pundt, who could operate a tavern there. Later, expansions added classical windows and decorative vases to the main gables as trade through the harbour grew.

During the nineteenth century, the premises became a post office, then a hotel and restaurant. In 1853, twenty-six gunboats from the first German fleet were auctioned there. Later renovations included major work to protect the structure from storm surges. A whale jawbone sculpture keeps Vegesack’s seafaring tradition visible.