The Ratskeller in Bremen

The Ratskeller around 1900

The main entrance today

The Ratskeller in Bremen is the cellar of the Town Hall of Bremen. Since it was erected in the year 1405, German wines were stored and sold there. With its history over 600 years the Ratskeller of Bremen is the oldest wine cellar of Germany, furthermore the oldest wine barrel of Germany, a wine from Rüdesheim which is dated 1653, is stored here.

In the cellar there has being a traditional tavern and today a large part of it is a gourmet restaurant.

History

Since 1330 the Council of Bremen held the privilege of white wine which was valid until 1815. No citizen should sell wine without the permission of the Council. All wines had to be stored in the Cellar of the Council. The purpose was to control the prices and the payment of taxes.

With about 650 varieties the Ratskeller has the world's greatest selection of German wines exclusively, even in total there are about 1,200 different spirits available.

Rooms of the Cellar

• The large Hall
• In front of the Bacchus
• Hauff's Hall
• The Rose Cellar
• The Rooms for the Senate of Bremen and the Kaiser
• The Bacchus Cellar
• Treasure Room

Famous Guests

Johannes Brahms Otto von Bismarck Max Bruch Hoffmann von Fallersleben Arthur Fitger Theodor Fontane Nikolai Gogol Wilhelm Hauff

Gerhart Hauptmann Heinrich Heine Graf Moltke Richard Strauss Richard Wagner Karl Maria von Weber Kaiser Wilhelm I. Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Literature

Hermann Entholt: The Ratskeller in Bremen. Translated from the German by Harold Styring, Bremen 1930.