The Schütting, situated on the Marktplatz, initially served the city's merchants and tradesmen as a guild house. In 1849, it became Bremen's chamber of commerce. Since 1973, it has been under monument protection.It lies on the south site of the Bremen marketplaces directly across from the town hall.Merchants' guildhalls named "Schütting" exist or have existed also in Bergen (Norway), there called Scotting, and in Lübeck, Lüneburg, Oldenburg (since 1604), Osnabrück and Rostock. They did not only serve administrative tasks and social events, but also as accommodation for foreign merchants. Therefore, the name can be related to the German word schützen meaning "to protect".In 1538, the merchants of Bremen charged the Flemish mason and architect Johann den Buschener from Antwerp, who constructed a new building in 1538/39. Due to financial limits, the fine design of the façades lasted much longer. Buschener only completed the stepped western gable, which is on the borderline of Late Gothic and of Renaissance style, and the main entrance, which was not yet central. The eastern gable, pure Renaissance, was crafted in 1565 by a local mason named Karsten Husmann. In 1594,