Everyone knows the story: a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster they were going to be slaughtered on their respective farms for being old and useless, so they escaped and set out to travel the world earning a living as musicians. Are the Bremen Town Musicians (die Bremer Stadtmusikanten), characters from the popular tale of the Brothers Grimm that, of course, they have their own statue in this German city.
Any tour one undertakes in Bremen should start here. The statue dates from 1951 and is located at the western end of the Marktplatz. It is tradition to hold the donkey's legs, at the base of the tower, and silently make a wish. That is why they are so discolored.
Also on Marktplatz is the imposing Gothic St. Petri Cathedral with its 99-meter high towers, the tallest structures in the city. In front of it is another famous statue, that of Roland, the hero of the battle of Roncesvalles. Legend has it that Bremen will be independent and free as long as the statue is standing. The triangle formed by the cathedral, the Roland statue and the City Hall were saved during the devastating bombardments that the city suffered during World War II.
In the Bremen Town of Musicians it is natural for music to play a leading role. Every hour they ring in the downtown streets the chime notes on Böttcherstrasse, made up of 30 porcelain bells, while its revolving tower shows scenes that pay homage to the great explorers of the ocean, a tribute to the city's seafaring tradition.
More information - Roland statue in Bremen
Images: bremen-tourismus.de