Worpswede, Artists' colony municipality near Bremen, Germany
Worpswede is a municipality in Lower Saxony, located about 20 km north of Bremen in the Teufelsmoor. The community consists of several villages, farms and art galleries spread between flat moorland and small birch groves.
The first written record dates from 1218, when the area belonged to the Archbishopric of Bremen. In the 18th century, farmers settled and drained the moor, and towards the end of the 19th century, artists arrived and founded a painters' colony.
The name comes from the words "Worp" and "Swede", meaning roughly "raised clearing in the moor". The village still attracts painters and sculptors who work in renovated farmhouses and small studios.
Visitors can explore the village on foot, as the main galleries, workshops and sights are located close together. Paths through the moorland are suitable for short walks or bike rides, especially in clear weather.
A small wooden bridge in the village center is called the "Barkenhoff Bridge" and crosses a narrow ditch to one of the oldest artists' houses. The 1926 structure shaped like a cheese cover now houses a museum dedicated to a local artist.
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