Freie Hansestadt Bremen , is the smallest and least populous of Germany's 16 states. It is informally called Land Bremen "State of Bremen" , although this is sometimes used in official contexts. The state consists of the city of Bremen as well as the small exclave of Bremerhaven in Northern Germany, surrounded by the larger state of Lower Saxony. The state of Bremen consists of two separated enclaves.
These enclaves contain Bremen , officially the 'City' Stadtgemeinde Bremen which is the state capital and located in both enclaves, and the city of Bremerhaven Stadt Bremerhaven. Both are located on the River Weser ; Bremerhaven is further downstream than the main parts of Bremen and serves as a North Sea harbour the name Bremerhaven means "Bremen's harbour".
Both enclaves are completely surrounded by the neighbouring State of Lower Saxony Niedersachsen. The two cities are the only administrative subdivisions the state has. The highest point in the state is in Friedehorst Park At the unwinding of the Holy Roman Empire in the Free Imperial City of Bremen as of , after earlier privileges of autonomy of was not mediatised but became a sovereign state officially titled Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.
Its currency was the Bremen thaler until In the First French Empire annexed the city-state. Bremen became one of 39 sovereign states of the German Confederation. In the state of Bremen bought the tract of land from the Kingdom of Hanover , where future Bremerhaven would be established. Bremen became part of the North German Confederation in and became an autonomous component state of the new-founded German Empire in and stayed with Germany in its following forms of government.
Bremen, which in had become a regular city at the de facto abolition of statehood of all component German states within the Third Reich , was reestablished as a state in The Senate selects of its members as a second mayor who serves as deputy of the president.
