The New Student's Reference Work/Bremen

Bremen (brĕm′en or brā́′men), one of the three free cities of Germany, stands on both banks of the Weser, which is spanned by four bridges.  Though called a free city, it is really a little state, having an area of 99 square miles, which includes, besides the city itself, the port of Bremerhaven and several other small places.  It goes back in history to the time of Charlemagne in the 8th century, was at one time a member of the so-called Hanseatic league of cities, and is now a part of the German empire.  It has a senate of sixteen members and a council of 150 burgesses.  It has a number of old and interesting buildings, but is especially noted for its large trade, in which it holds the second place among the cities of Germany.  Its enormous foreign trade extends all over the world, but is largest with the United States.  Its exports to the latter embrace aniline dyes, cotton hosiery, cotton lace, furs, hides, skins and leather manufactures, toys, rubber, woolen cloth, etc.  From its port about fifty per cent. of all German emigrants set sail, most of them coming to the United States.  In one year 52,000 emigrants left its port, and that same year it imported from the United States goods valued at almost $30,000,000.  Twenty-five hundred vessels arrive yearly.  It is the headquarters of the North German Lloyd steamship company, and is connected by rail with the whole of western and central Germany.  Population of the state is 298,736 and that of the city 246,827.