It still serves as the seat of the mayor and president of the senate. The building was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004. It is considered the most beautiful building of its type in Germany.
Inside the town hall, there is the city councilors' restaurant, Bremer Ratskeller - a restaurant with an original design and giant wine barrels. This is a local wine cellar that, since its establishment in 1405, has been storing and selling only German wines. With over 600 years of history, the Ratskeller of Bremen is one of the oldest wine cellars in Germany. Moreover, the oldest wine barrel in Germany is kept here - wine from Rüdesheim dating back to 1653. In one of its chambers, 12 of the oldest wines in the world are stored in original barrels. The selection of wine in the restaurant is supervised by the Ratskellermeister, a wine master. It is a prestigious and lifelong profession - since 1410, only 18 people have held it.
