Bremen: Bremen Town Musicians

Bremen Town Musicians

An introduction to the Bremen Town Musicians

The Brothers Grimm fairytales are cherished all over the world as books, stories and dramatisations. A much-loved favourite is the tale of the Bremen Town Musicians. It tells the story of four farmyard animals who leave house and home in search of new fortune in the city. But the journey ahead to Bremen is long, so they seek out a warm spot to spend the night.

A cottage in the woods seems the perfect place for the companions to take shelter. Working together they make a horrible din and frighten away the robbers inside. Although the four new friends decided to stay in the cottage, they became famous around the world as the Bremen Town Musicians.

The people of Bremen are proud of their fairytale animals, which are as much an emblem of the city as the town hall and Roland statue, a joint UNESCO World Heritage site. Bremen is widely associated with the story of the donkey, the dog, the cat and the rooster. A survey confirmed just how strongly the city and its fairytale are linked in people's minds: nearly a third of respondents spontaneously thought of the Town Musicians when asked about Bremen.

Our website aims to better acquaint you with the intrepid quartet who have become mascots for Bremen. We invite you to find out more about the fairytale and to follow the trail of the Town Musicians through our historical city centre. As well as the famous statue of the animals by Gerhard Marcks at the town hall, there are many more encounters to look forward to and adventures to enjoy. Numerous authors and directors have revisited the Brothers Grimm fairytale, and the Bremen Town Musicians crop up time and again in many different guises and media.

Have fun browsing and finding out all there is to know about the Bremen Town Musicians.

The Brothers Grimm fairytale
The Bremen Town Musicians is one of the best-known and most popular of the Brothers Grimm fairytales. Grown-ups and children all over the world know t...

The Town Musicians in Bremen
In the Brothers Grimm fairytale, the cat, the dog, the rooster and the donkey are on their way to Bremen. But before they reach their destination, the...

Activities themed on the Bremen Town Musicians
There is much more to the Bremen Town Musicians than a fairytale and a bronze statue at the town hall. Our city has so many different ways for you to ...

Beyond the fairytale
The dog on top of the donkey, the cat on top of the dog, and the rooster on top of the cat is the classic portrayal of the Bremen Town Musicians. But ...

Awards based on the Bremen Town Musicians
And the winner is ......

Updated 09.09.2010

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