Stadtwaage

Stadtwaage stands on Langenstraße in Bremen as a historic weigh house shaped by the city’s trading life. Merchants weighed their goods here, a practice documented as early as 1330. Lüder von Bentheim built the present structure between 1586 and 1588 in Weser Renaissance style. Brick walls, sandstone ornaments, pilasters, shell-shaped window details, and a putto frieze defined its façade. A golden balance marked the purpose, while two round arches opened the entrance.

Upper floors held the city council’s grain reserves, then accommodated tax and excise offices and the land registry. From 1927, NORAG used the building as Bremen’s first broadcasting station. War damage largely destroyed it in 1944, and disagreements delayed reconstruction until 1958. The replacement preserved the old gable, and the surviving form has stood as a protected monument since 1973.

Today, Kulturhaus Stadtwaage hosts presentations, exhibitions, and receptions under the ownership of Sparkasse Bremen. The Günter Grass Foundation and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen also occupy the cultural centre. A golden balance and two round arches still recall the trading purpose that shaped this place.