The Town Musicians of Bremen is a famous folktale by the Brothers Grimm. The story is about four aging animals leaving their homes to seek their fortune in Bremen. Local legend says that touching the Bremen Town Musicians statue in the city center will bring good luck.

This Bremen statue shows Roland, a loyal knight who once served under Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne. It was erected in the city's market square in 1404. Legend has it that Bremen will remain free and independent as long as Roland stands watch over the city. The statue and historic town hall are protected UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Seventeenth century artists carved countless intricate figures and reliefs into the sandstone facade of Bremen's City Hall . Among them is the city's famous key symbol, which later became a motif in the coat of arms. Bremen is revered for its Weser Renaissance architecture.

The former Schütting guild house served Bremen's merchants and traders for nearly 600 years. Today, it houses Bremen's chamber of commerce. In 1899, the Low German inscription "buten un binnen wagen un winnen," which translates to "outside and in, risk it and win," was added to the building's portal.

Every year, 100 captains, 100 merchants and 100 guests gather at Bremen City Hall for the traditional Schaffermahlzeit banquet. The all-male tradition was introduced in 1545 as a means to gather together the city's captains, ship owners and merchants. On February 13, 2015, women were invited to the dinner for the first time in history.

Charming half-timbered houses and quaint stores make up Bremen's enchanting Schnoor quarter, located just a few hundred meters from the market square. It is the city's oldest neighborhood and ideal for a leisurely stroll.

The Weser River connects Bremen to the North Sea via Bremerhaven, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) further north. The river was a key trade route. Over the centuries, ships would bring raw materials back to Bremen from northern Europe, where they would in turn load fabrics and ironware. Bremen became a member of the Hanseatic League, a powerful medieval alliance of merchants and cities, in 1358.

Bremerhaven has one of the largest container ports in Europe, handling some 50 million tons of cargo every year. Yet Bremerhaven is also a key hub for passenger ships. Its Columbus Cruise Center ranks among the most modern passenger terminals in the world. The city is also home to the Atlantic Hotel Sail City, which resembles a giant sail.

Bremerhaven's German Emigration Center is dedicated to the history of Germans who migrated abroad, especially to the US. It's here that in the 19th and 20th centuries, millions of passengers boarded ships bound for the American continent and elsewhere seeking to build new lives.

Bremerhaven's harbor district features a dazzling museum dedicated to climate change. The stylish building resembles the shape of a ship and its exterior is comprised of 4,000 glass panes. Inside, visitors can learn about the impact of global warming on nature and mankind.

Rich traders from Bremen shipped their goods via the River Weser into the North Sea and from there sent them around the world. The market square particularly reflects the self-confidence of the medieval citizens of Bremen. The ornate town hall (left building in photo) and the Roland Statue have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.

From the 13th to the 15th century the Hanseatic League dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe. Hamburg joined the trade alliance in 1321. The port existed even back then. These days Hamburg Port is hugely popular with tourists. A million visitors come to celebrate the port's anniversary at the beginning of May alone.

Lübeck was the richest town in the Hanseatic city alliance. Known as the "Queen of the Hanseatic League," it governed the league for many years. The old town center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Some 200 cities along the North and Baltic Sea coasts and inland formed the Hanseatic League. The European Hansemuseum in Lübeck records the rise and fall of this trade association.

At the time of the Hanseatic League, Rostock was one of the most important goods handling centers on the Baltic Sea, earning it the name of "Gateway to Scandinavia." Every summer the city hosts a large maritime festival known as the Hanse Sail. About 250 traditional sailing ships of all shapes and sizes enter the city port of Rostock, where visitors can board and view them.

Stralsund on the Baltic Sea shows what Hanseatic cities looked at the height of the League in the 14th century. The basic design of the medieval town center has remained largely unchanged. The modern Oceanographic museum, "Ozeaneum" (above white), was constructed between the old harbor warehouses. Here visitors can dive into the underwater worlds of the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Polar Sea.

Wismar's calling card is its red brick architecture, a style of building that can only be found in northern Germany. Great non-religious buildings, such as storehouses, but also mighty churches were built in the characteristic style of Brick Gothic. The old town center of Wismar was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.

The Hanseatic town of Lüneburg on the river Ilmenau was the biggest supplier of salt in northern Germany during the Middle Ages. The salt was mined in Lüneburg and then shipped downriver; the Ilmenau flows into the Elbe, which after a further 100 kilometers enters the North Sea. The German Salt Museum in Lüneburg shows the history of salt extraction and how it influenced the city.

Korbach, in the center of present-day Germany, is not located on the seacoast or on a river. Nevertheless the town joined the Hanseatic League in 15th century, thanks to its geographically and economically significant location at the crossroads of several important trade routes. Today there are 25 cities in Germany that carry the label "Hanseatic."