Bremen Roland, Medieval stone statue in Market Square, Bremen, Germany.
Bremen Roland measures 5.47 meters tall and holds a sword in one hand while the other carries a shield bearing an imperial eagle. Its base lifts the figure above the market square, making it widely visible beside the town hall.
Stonemasons Claws Zeelleyher and Jacob Olde erected the figure in 1404 to replace a wooden predecessor destroyed by archiepiscopal troops in 1366. The stone execution was meant to better endure future attacks and make civic self-understanding permanently visible.
This figure embodies municipal self-government and market law, with Bremen residents believing their independence remains secure as long as it stands in place. That conviction has shaped how the city's population relates to their stone guardian across the centuries.
The figure stands on the central market square directly beside the town hall and remains freely accessible from all sides. Information panels in several languages explain its meaning for visitors.
During Napoleon's occupation, Bremen citizens preserved the figure by convincing French troops it held little artistic value and therefore need not be shipped to Paris. This ruse saved the monument from removal and possible loss.
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