Ports of Bremen

The Ports of Bremen, Bremen Ports or Bremish Ports, in German "Bremische Häfen" consist of the commercial ports in Bremen and Bremerhaven. They are managed by bremenports GmbH & Co. KG, a company of private status in public property.

In 2011, in the Ports of Bremen more than 60 million tons of goods were transported, including 6 million containers and 2.1 million cars. Bremerhaven Harbour is the world's busiest port transporting cars.

History

Medieval harbours

The first port of Bremen was the Balge, a narrow branch of the Weser river. In the mid-13th century, on Bremen city's riverside of the main river, a quay was built, called the Schlachte. For about three centuries, both ports were used in parallel, before Balge harbour stopped being used.

Outer Harbours

Like in many other European regions, the medieval extension of agriculture increased erosion of soil in the Weser basin. Since about 1400, the bed of the lower Weser was choked with sand, dramatically. Laden sea vessels could no longer run upriver to Bremen city. Ships were discharged on riverboats in the open lower Weser. In 1622/23, Bremen's first outer harbour was founded in Vegesack, 20 km downstream of Bremen. Soon it was lacking depth, too.

Bremen

The City Municipality of Bremen (German: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, IPA: [ˈbʁeːmən]) is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany.

A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the River Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen/Oldenburg Metropolitan Region, with 2.4 million people. Bremen is the second most populous city in Northern Germany and tenth in Germany.

Bremen is a major cultural and economic hub in the northern regions of Germany. Bremen is home to dozens of historical galleries and museums, ranging from historical sculptures to major art museums, such as the Übersee-Museum Bremen. Bremen has a reputation as a working class city. Along with this, Bremen is home to a large number of multinational companies and manufacturing centers. Companies headquartered in Bremen include the Hachez chocolate company and Vector Foiltec.

Bremen is some 60 km (37 mi) south from the Weser mouth on the North Sea. With Bremerhaven right on the mouth the two comprise the state of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (official German name: Freie Hansestadt Bremen).

Bremen (disambiguation)

Bremen may refer to:

Places and states

Canada

Germany

United States

Books

Bremen, Indiana

Bremen (/ˈbriːmən/ BREE-mən) is a town in German Township, Marshall County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,588 at the 2010 census.

History

Bremen was platted and laid out in 1851. A large portion of the early settlers being natives of Germany caused the name Bremen to be selected.

Geography

Bremen is located at 41°26′50″N 86°08′58″W / 41.447109°N 86.149342°W / 41.447109; -86.149342. It is at an elevation of 854 feet.

According to the 2010 census, Bremen has a total area of 2.72 square miles (7.04 km²), all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,588 people, 1,736 households, and 1,155 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,686.8 inhabitants per square mile (651.3/km²). There were 1,922 housing units at an average density of 706.6 per square mile (272.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.5% White, 0.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 11.1% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.0% of the population.

Port

A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land. Port locations are selected to optimize access to land and navigable water, for commercial demand, and for shelter from wind and waves. Ports with deeper water are rarer, but can handle larger, more economical ships. Since ports throughout history handled every kind of traffic, support and storage facilities vary widely, may extend for miles, and dominate the local economy. Some ports have an important military role.

Historical

One of the world's oldest known artificial harbors is at Wadi al-Jarf on the Red Sea. Along with the finding of harbor structures, ancient anchors have also been found.

Ancient China

Guangzhou was an important port during the ancient times as far back as the Qin Dynasty.

Ancient Egypt

Canopus was the principal port in Egypt for Greek trade before the foundation of Alexandria.

Ancient Greece

Athens' port of Piraeus was the base for the Athenian fleet and this played a crucial role in the battle of Salamis against the Persians in 480 BC.

Port wine

Port wine (also known as Vinho do Porto, Portuguese pronunciation: [ˌviɲuduˈpoɾtu], Porto, and usually simply port) is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, though it also comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. Fortified wines in the style of port are also produced outside Portugal, most notably in Australia, France, South Africa, Canada, India, Argentina, and the United States. Under European Union Protected Designation of Origin guidelines, only the product from Portugal may be labelled as port or Porto. In the United States, wines labelled "port" may come from anywhere in the world, while the names "Dão", "Oporto", "Porto", and "Vinho do Porto" have been recognised as foreign, non-generic names for wines originating in Portugal.

Region and production

Port is produced from grapes grown and processed in the demarcated Douro region. The wine produced is then fortified by the addition of a neutral grape spirit known as aguardente in order to stop the fermentation, leaving residual sugar in the wine, and to boost the alcohol content. The fortification spirit is sometimes referred to as brandy but it bears little resemblance to commercial brandies. The wine is then stored and aged, often in barrels stored in a cave (pronounced kahv and meaning "cellar" in Portuguese) as is the case in Vila Nova de Gaia, before being bottled. The wine received its name, "port", in the later half of the 17th century from the seaport city of Porto at the mouth of the Douro River, where much of the product was brought to market or for export to other countries in Europe. The Douro valley where port wine is produced was defined and established as a protected region, or appellation in 1756, making it the third oldest, after Chianti (1716) and Tokaj (1730).

Ports (comarca)

Ports (Valencian pronunciation: [ˈpɔɾts]) is a comarca in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. It mostly overlaps the historical comarca known as Ports de Morella (Spanish: Los Puertos de Morella), except for the municipal areas surrounding Catí and Vilafranca that were excluded from the present-day Ports comarca.

Municipalities

See also

Coordinates: 40°38′28″N 0°06′35″W / 40.641°N 0.109861°W / 40.641; -0.109861