The Schnoorviertel is the oldest surviving quarter in Bremen — a tight knot of lanes and alleyways between the cathedral and the Weser river, lined with 15th and 16th-century fishermen's and artisans' houses. The houses are so narrow and close together they seem to lean across the street toward each other. The quarter takes its name from the Low German word for thread: the alleys run like threads of a necklace.
Unlike many old quarters that have been gentrified into mere tourism corridors, the Schnoorviertel retains a genuine mix of uses: independent jewellery and craft shops, small restaurants, a few galleries, and residential buildings. It is compact enough to walk through in twenty minutes but worth slowing down for. The contrast with the open Marktplatz a few hundred metres away is striking.