Doesn’t Ritter-Raschen-Platz sound like a character from a fairy tale? It is actually named after a real person. Let’s delve into the story of this small green space in Bremen.
Ritter-Raschen-Platz is a historical square in the Walle district. It is named after Christoph Ludwig Raschen. He was a knight, officer, and diplomat. Raschen lived from 1584 to 1645.
From 1633 to 1635, Christoph Ludwig Raschen served as the Swedish Resident. He was also a Minister Plenipotentiary. His area of responsibility included Bremen, Hamburg, Lubeck, and the Lower Saxon Imperial Circle. In 1635, he leased Gut Walle.
Christoph Ludwig Raschen was buried in 1645. He was laid to rest next to the Waller Church. Raschen had donated money for the construction of the church’s brick tower. He must have been a very generous man.
Several streets converge at Ritter-Raschen-Platz. Waller Heerstraße is named after the Walle district. Walle got its name from a farm. Ritter-Raschen-Straße is named after Christoph Ludwig Raschen. Langeooger Straße is named after the island of Langeoog.
Stiftstraße and Almatastraße commemorate the Almatastift of 1892. Almata Reismann founded it. Apenrader Straße is named after the Danish city of Aabenraa. Dünenstraße is named after the dunes. Travemünder Straße is named after the Lübeck-Travemünde district.
Walle was first mentioned in 1139. During the French occupation of Bremen from 1806 to 1814, the road passing through Walle was expanded. It became a military road.
From 1885 to 1914, industrial companies settled in the area due to the construction of the ports. Denser buildings with rental apartments for workers were built on Waller Heerstraße and at Ritter-Raschen-Platz.
During the air raids on Bremen in 1944, around 25,000 apartments in Walle were destroyed. The area saw rapid reconstruction in the 1950s and 1970s. The triangular square became a green space. Southern parts of Waller Heerstraße became a redevelopment area in 2002.
Several buildings surround Ritter-Raschen-Platz. Numbers 1 to 3 are two-story residential buildings built after 1960. Numbers 4 to 8 are three-story plastered residential buildings also built after 1960. Number 10 is a two to three-story residential building. It has a clinker facade from the 1920s. Waller Heerstraße 184ff is a two to three-story residential building group. It also has a clinker facade from the 1920s.
Waller Heerstraße 197 is a two-story building. It serves as the Protestant State Church Community Center Walle. Dünenstraße 2/4 is a three-story modern building. It houses the Haus der Familie Walle. It is part of the Gröpelingen/Walle social center. It offers family counseling and support for single mothers. Travemünder Straße 1 is a four-story modern residential building.
A war memorial from 1870/71 stands on Ritter-Raschen-Platz. It was erected in 1872 in the Waller Friedhof and moved to Ritter-Raschen-Platz in 1899. A colorful child-friendly ceramic sculpture called Ritter Rasch stands in front of the Kinderhaus Schnecke and the Waller Church. The sculpture was created in 2017 in the Oslebshausen prison workshop. It commemorates Ritter Raschen and his donated church tower. Pferdebrunnen IV from 1977 has been located on Waller Dorfplatz since 2006.
In 1879, the Große Bremer Pferdebahn opened the second horse-drawn streetcar line from Hastedt to Walle. This route still exists today. In 1899, the electric tram Bremen ran to Walle-Bogenstraße. Line numbers 1 to 8 were introduced in 1908. Tram lines 2 and 10 pass by the square.
Ritter-Raschen-Platz offers a glimpse into Bremen’s past. It evolved from a strategic location to a residential hub. Today, it stands as a testament to resilience. It is a vibrant part of the Walle district.