Didn’t Bremen once have a “Bräutigam”? It wasn’t a man about to be married. It was actually a tower. For over a century, the Bräutigam stood tall. It was one of Bremen’s most striking structures.
Part of the city’s fortifications, the Bräutigam was built in the early 16th century. The tower was also known as Stephanitorzwinger. It soared about 40 meters high. Its walls were up to five meters thick. These sturdy walls served a dual purpose. The Bräutigam functioned as both a prison and a powder tower.
But storing powder led to its demise. On August 4, 1647, disaster struck. Lightning hit the Bräutigam. Six tons of gunpowder ignited. The explosion ripped the tower apart. It also devastated the surrounding area. Many houses were destroyed. Even the newly opened workhouse suffered damage.
Fast forward to 2012. The tower’s foundation was unearthed. With support from a developer named Siedentopf, a special cellar was created. This cellar preserves the tower’s remains.
Today, you can visit this rarely accessible space. Here lies the remains of the Bräutigam. During the visit, you can learn about this former Bremen landmark. The tour is in cooperation with the State Archaeology of Bremen and the State Archaeologist Dieter Bischop.
The Stephanitorzwinger earned the nickname Bräutigam. This was in reference to another powder tower called “Braut” that translates to bride. The Bräutigam stood on the western edge of Bremen’s old town near the Weser river. Its location was uncertain for some time. But excavations in 2012 revealed its remains.
Construction of the Bräutigam spanned from 1525 to 1534. This was the longest building phase of Bremen’s powder towers. The nearly 40-meter-high tower stood partly in the Weser River. Its octagonal shape featured walls up to five meters thick. These thick walls rested on a wooden raft. Unlike the other two powder towers, the Bräutigam had a pointed conical roof.
The explosion in 1647 caused significant damage to nearby houses. The force of the blast left a crack in the foundation. This crack is about five centimeters wide. During construction in the Überseestadt district in 2012, archaeologists discovered the tower’s remains.
In a cellar under the GOP Variety Theater, you can view part of the excavation site. This space is only accessible during special tours. Here, you can see the foundation and the remains of the pile foundation. You can also view stone cannonballs and a fragment of a stove tile. The tile portrays the French King Francis I. The Bräutigam may be gone but its story remains. It serves as a reminder of Bremen’s history. A history filled with both strength and vulnerability.