Tour of Europe 04 2016
Day 8
The Schütting, the history: in 1538, the merchants of Bremen charged the Flemish mason and architect Johann den Buschener from Antwerp, who constructed a new building in 1538/39.
Buschener only completed the stepped western gable, which is on the borderline of Late Gothic and of Renaissance style, and the main entrance, which was not yet central.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the façade was altered several times: In 1756, Theophilus Freese removed the decentral entrance by a decent central one and reduced the number of horizontal cornices, thus changing the style to a modest kind of Baroque.
In mid 19th century the line of low shops in front of the basement was removed, and for the first time a twin staircase to the entrance door was built.
In Wilhelminism, people disliked the noble modesty of the building. In 1895 to 1899, the number of corniches was raised and above the windows relief ornaments were placed. The present bombastic portal was constructed.
Above the door, a Low German inscription was added, lately invented by Bremen’s mayor Otto Gildemeister
buten un binnen
wagen un winnen
(literally “Outside and in, risk it and win”) was added as a motto, meaning that merchants from Bremen are called upon to risk their assets at home and abroad in order to gain fortune.
The building with its magnificent interior and its valuable furnishings burnt to the ground on 6 October 1944. Reconstruction was completed in 1956. Except for the dormers on the façade overlooking the market square, the exterior was rebuilt, as it had been since 1899, while the interior was reconfigured.
In 1951, the chamber of commerce moved into the ground floor. The second stage of the reconstruction took place over the next five years, including the second floor interior. In 2009, the faҫade and copper-covered roof were repaired and the dormers were rebuilt.
Life of a building…
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Sig Nordal 