It is considered one of the oldest Roland statues in Germany. It symbolizes the independence of the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Statues of Roland were placed in cities that had the right to free trade and their jurisdiction. They were also a manifestation of the independence of the townspeople from the church authorities. For the people of Bremen, this monument is what the Statue of Liberty is for the people of New York.
The statue has been restored many times. During the Allied air raids of World War II, when over 60 percent of Bremen's buildings were destroyed, the statue of Roland and the town hall survived thanks to the protection that had been erected earlier. During the last renovation in 1989, a box containing Nazi propaganda materials, which had been deposited there in 1938, was discovered inside the statue.
In 1983, Roland's head was replaced with a copy, and the original rested in the Focke-Museum. Then the statue was fenced with a decorative grate.
