Senate Chancellery Senatskanzlei

Bremen Town Hall as a place of work

Bremen Town Hall is not only a gem of architectural and art history, nor merely a prestigious venue, but also a place of work. It is the mayor’s official residence, and the Senate meets here once a week. Furthermore, the Town Hall also serves as the headquarters of a government department with a total of around 100 staff members.
The Senate Chancellery supports the President of the Senate and Mayor, Dr Andreas Bovenschulte, in carrying out his wide-ranging duties. He is the head of Bremen’s city administration and, at the same time, the head of a state government, and is thus equivalent to a Minister-President. This is because the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, like the capital Berlin and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, is a city-state amongst the 16 German federal states – or, more precisely, a two-city state comprising Bremen and Bremerhaven.
The President of the Senate coordinates and manages the affairs of the state government, oversees the fulfilment of its duties and represents the Free Hanseatic City externally.
Accordingly, the Senate Chancellery is responsible for state affairs, the coordination of the Senate departments, foreign affairs, integrated forward planning and public relations.
In addition to all matters of principle concerning the Senate, it is therefore the task of the Senate Chancellery to organise communication with the other federal states, the Federal Government, Bremen’s constitutional bodies, diplomatic and consular missions, and twin towns. Coordination involves harmonising the political initiatives of the individual Senate departments and shaping a coherent government policy. The Senate Chancellery is responsible for presenting and representing this policy of the Senate as a whole to the public. It fulfils this task through a daily press service, constant contact with the media and the publication of information materials. An important complement to political coordination is the compilation and collection of data on future developments in key policy areas, so that the state government can adapt in good time to future trends and opportunities.
Guided tours of the Town Hall take place regularly. However, due to the numerous events and receptions held there, it is not possible to specify fixed opening hours. Please refer to our website, mentioned above, for the changing dates of the Town Hall tours and further information about Bremen’s historic Town Hall.