Böttcherstraße Bremen
Just a little more than 100 meters long, the Böttcherstraße has been one of the most famous attractions in Bremen since the 1920's.
"Der Lichtbringer" in Bremen's Böttcherstraße
The story behind the Der Lichtbringer is a glimpse into the cultural politics of the Nazi era. As an art and shopping street, Böttcherstraße connects the market square with Martinistrasse and the Weser. It is connected at both entrances with a bridge. The bridge facing the market square has a gilded bronze relief — an eye-catcher for visitors.
The relief is dominated by a life-size figure coming diagonally from the top right and fighting off a three-headed dragon with a sword and gesture. At first glance, one might think that this is the Archangel Michael's battle with the dragon—a common depiction in Christian iconography. But if you look closely, you can see that the youth is missing the most important attribute, the wings. What clings to his distaff is a fluttering cloak. Nor does he kill the dragon, but only rejects it. A radiant sun can be seen in the upper left area of the relief. Between the dragon and the youngling is an irregularly distributed number of people, some of whom seem to be cheering the youngling. Some figures raise their left arm, some their right arm, and some both.
The relief is part of the Paula Becker Modersohn House, but it was not designed by the sculptor Bernhard Hoetger until August 1936, ten years after its completion, and placed there on behalf of the merchant Ludwig Roselius. The figure was titled "Der Lichtbringer". This had special reasons that provide insights into the cultural politics of the Nazi era.
According to the brochure, the Bremen coffee merchant Ludwig Roselius had become very prosperous since 1906 by inventing decaffeinated coffee and founding the company Kaffee HAG and had acquired the entire Böttcherstrasse. He had the Handwerkergasse completely redesigned or rebuilt from 1923 to 1931, told in traditional forms by the architects Runge & Scotland, partly in a provocative modern way by the sculptor Bernhard Hoetger.
Intended as a tourist attraction from the beginning, Ludwig Roselius wanted to show domestic and foreign visitors a way of cultural renewal in Germany after the collapse following the lost of the first World War by combining tradition and modernity with the new construction of Böttcherstrasse. Each of the seven houses has a special name and a special purpose. The Paula-Becker-Modersohn-Haus is a homage to the Worpswede Materin Paula Modersohn-Becker.
Artist and hero fame
Built in 1926/27, the façade facing the market originally had a completely different face. In the booklet accompanying Böttcherstraße from 1930, this facade is described as: "an enigmatic, curiosity-awakening structure from the gloomy, south-facing crack in the street".
However, this facade mostly met with a lack of understanding, both regionally and nationally. In addition to aesthetic reservations, there was political resistance, triggered by the dedication plaque on the left at the entrance. There it read:
Dieses ist das
Paula Becker-Modersohn haus
aus alter Häuser fall
und Umbau errichtet von
Bernhard Hoetgers Hand
Zum Zeichen edler
Fraue zeugend Werk
das siegend steht
wenn tapferer männer
Heldenruhm verweht.translation
This is the
Paula Becker-Modersohn house
from old houses fall
and reconstruction built by
Bernhard Hoetger's hand
To the sign of noble
woman begetting work
that stands victorious
when brave men
heroic glory blows away.
This was seen as a disparagement of the war participants and survivors of the fallen, as it placed the work of the artist above "heroic glory". The criticism of the plaque was continued by the National Socialists in Bremen after the takeover of power, so that Roselius felt compelled to soften the statement of the plaque as early as June 1933. He had the word "if" replaced by the word "until" and thus relativized the statement.
Visiting Böttcherstraße one immediately sees that this area is not "real", but pure tourist attractions. For example the arches are fake, they are not used to discharge the forces of the structures but only to beautify the facades.
Nonetheless, it is a very beautiful place.
Probably, the most beautiful thing of the full complex is the Carillon.
Next is a video of the Carillon at the "Glockenspiel House" I recorded today at 16:00.
