Plassmann's Villa The art nouveau villa with the crest above the impressive gateway belonged to the wood trader Wilhelm Plassmann (1852-1931). In 1907, he commissioned its construction by the architects Hans and Heinrich Lassen from Bremen. Actually, it was his second residential house in Brake. Wood trading was a flourishing industry. Plassman supplied above all the numerous shipyards of wooden ships with his highly desired construction material – such as, for example, the shipyard of Ide Oltmann in the immediate vicinity. However, even the suppliers of the shipyards as well as many building and carpentry business were among his customers.Around 1900, the affluent class in Brake began copying the British style of living with great enthusiasm. Even today, the villas document the wealth once prevalent in the maritime city of Brake. [More]