Votava returned to West Germany aged 29, signing with SV Werder Bremen where he would play a further 11 campaigns and rarely missing a game. He helped the club to the 1991–92 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and two league titles (to which he contributed with 65 matches and five goals combined). On 24 August 1996, aged 40 years and 121 days, he became the league's oldest goalscorer at the time, scoring in a 1–2 loss at VfB Stuttgart. The record lasted until 16 February 2019, when Claudio Pizarro (aged 40 years and 136 days) scored against Hertha BSC.