Who among us did not like fairy tales in childhood? And what to hide, many even at a very advanced age, no, no, and they pick up a colorful children's book and read it with great pleasure, willingly "falling through" into the world of fairies and witches, princes and princesses, talking animals, magic objects ...
And which of the most famous storytellers is popular all over the world? Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Perrault, Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann and, of course, the Grimm brothers. All of us once sincerely worried about Little Red Riding Hood, rejoiced at the tricks of the Cat in Boots, loved the kind and hardworking Cinderella and dear Snow White.
Do you know that you can not only remember all these characters, but also really see the edges where the stories told by the Grimm brothers "happened"? In 1975, the German National Tourism Bureau composed the very popular route called the German Fairytale Road (Deutsche Märchenstraße), which runs through the federal states of Hesse and Lower Saxony from Hanau to Bremen.
This route (600 km long) goes through amazingly beautiful places reminiscent of the life and work of the Grimm brothers, covering a total of about 70 cities, towns and villages (many of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List).
And let's get acquainted together with the main “stops” on the “Fairy Tale Road”?
10. Steinau - the childhood city of the Grimm brothers
As we mentioned above, the first point of the trip is Hanau, where the future great storytellers Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) were born in the family of the lawyer Philippe-Wilhelm Grimm and his beloved Dorothea. On the square of pastoral Hanau, of course, now stands a bronze monument dedicated to them.
And since 1791, the Grimm lived in the town of Steinau (about 50 km from Hanau). Here the childhood of Jacob, William and their three brothers and sisters passed. Of course, now the house where a large friendly family lived is a museum - beautiful and truly fabulous.
For little visitors there is entertainment for every taste: you can listen to fairy tales or guess them from illustrations, watch cartoons, stage puppet shows, etc. The Princess Room with beautiful outfits is popular with girls.
The city of Steinau, which is already 1300 (!) Years old, has been splendidly preserved - it is full of charming half-timbered houses, on its streets you can find many figurines of characters from the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, as well as plots of these magical stories depicted directly on the walls of some buildings. The “Fountain of Fairy Tales” settled down on the central square in 1985 - a 4-meter column, completely covered with bas-reliefs-illustrations.
The most striking events take place here in August - during the Steinau Fairy Tales Festival there is a whole "invasion" of Little Red Riding Hoods, Hansels and Gretel, gnomes, knights and princesses (and also, of course, tourists), and at every corner there is a theatrical performance dancing puppet dolls, etc.
9. Schwalmstadt (Schwalmstadt) - the city of Little Red Riding Hood
Schwalmstadt - the official "capital" of a fairy tale about a girl in a red cap. The town is very picturesque, they zealously keep the history of these places - hundreds of half-timbered and other buildings of the 17th-19th centuries are perfectly preserved in the old center.
Of course, in Schwalmstadt there is also the Little Red Riding Hood Museum (or rather, the Museum of Local Lore, which includes, among other things, women's “Schwalm Trach” costumes that were once worn by all women in this region - one of the elements of this outfit was the same round little red riding hood).
In the same region of Schwalm-Eder there is another town that considers itself the place where Little Red Riding Hood was born - Alsfeld. Alsfeld’s houses seem to have really come down from the pages of fairy tales, they are so bright and “toy”. It seems that time froze forever here at the behest of some kind fairy, at the same time “preserving” in Alsfeld’s air the flair of eternal, enduring magic.
In this town there is a House of fairy tales, on its streets you can meet fairy-tale characters at any time (both bronze, stucco and painted, and quite alive). Every summer, a festival takes place here, culminating in a procession of many fairy-tale heroes - led, of course, with Little Red Riding Hood - through all the ancient squares and streets of Alsfeld. (Of course, there is a similar summer holiday in Schwalmstadt).
8. Marburg (Marburg) - the city where the Grimm brothers became storytellers
The beautiful ancient Marburg (founded in 800) seems to be "climbing" along the slope of a high hill above the River Lahn, and therefore it is necessary to constantly overcome many stairs, descents and ascents. Of course, this city has a very eventful history. One of the historical facts that made him famous: the Brothers Grimm studied at the University of Marburg (and this is where their career of famous storytellers and prominent German philologists began).
At first, Jacob and Wilhelm wanted to become lawyers, like their father. But philology and folklore still won. Interest in these two scientific subjects arose in the brothers as early as in Kassel gymnasium (about Kassel - below), and nothing was possible to “kill” him. Just during their studies at the university, they began to collect, record and literally rework German fairy tales.
In fact, Marburg is already very worth a thorough inspection. Here you can admire beautiful buildings for hours (including half-timbered houses, the old town hall, the Church of St. Elizabeth with its high spiers and Marburg Castle).
In addition, in this city you will constantly come across (in the most unexpected places) “reminders” of various fairy tales: there are dwarf caps on the fence, a shoe forgotten by the princess lies in the grass, and there are seven kids, Snow White, Cinderella and others (in the form of figures or drawings).
7. Kassel - the city where the Brothers Grimm studied and lived
The younger Kassel (it became a city only at the end of the 12th century) is the central point of the “Fairy Tale Road”. Here, the Grimm brothers studied at the gymnasium, and later (after graduating from Marburg University) spent the most fruitful years of their lives, serving in the ducal library and collecting local tales and traditions. They lived here for a total of 25 years. By the way, it was in this city in 1812 that their first collection was published - "Children's and Family Tales."
In 1959, a museum was founded in Kassel dedicated to Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (perhaps the best of all), where, in addition to exhibits about their life and work, there are separate, colorfully decorated rooms that "illustrate" the most famous fairy tales. Do you know that the Grimm brothers were the compilers of the first German dictionary? True, Wilhelm, alas, managed to reach only the letter D, and Jacob died right at the workplace, describing the word Frucht (fruit).
Of course, in Kassel there is also a monument to the Brothers Grimm. In addition, there are 3 ancient castles and 3 beautiful parks that are also worth a visit.
Oh yes! Near Kassel there are several more "fabulous" places:
• Fritzlar is a very atmospheric medieval city (900 years old) with an old fortress surrounded by magical landscapes. Here is a tall tower with almost no windows, in which, according to local residents, the beautiful Rapunzel languished - a girl with chic long braids;
• Waldeck (Waldeck) - an ancient castle above Lake Eder (in which a private hotel is now located) - young Margarita lived here with her father (Count von Waldeck-Vindulgen) - a prototype of the fabulous Snow White;
• Bergfreiheit (Bergfreiheit) - a place near the town of Bad Wildungen (Bad Wildungen), where the Museum of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs;
• Wolfhagen - the city where the events of the "Seven Little Kids" "occurred".
6. Hannoverschn Münden (Hannoversch Münden) - a fabulous scenery city
Perhaps more than any other place on the “Fairy Tale Road”, the fantastically beautiful Hann-Münden, which retains the bright medieval flora, impresses. The famous German geographer Alexander Humboldt considered him one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Münden (which, incidentally, has a rich 850-year history) is completely similar to the scenery for the film based on German fairy tales.
The city is located in a picturesque place where the rivers Fulda and Verra merge, forming at the same time a new river - the Weser. And here, the historic center with its "gingerbread" half-timbered houses (which are already 400-500 years old) with generic coats of arms on the facades, a beautiful Renaissance town hall, craft workshops and ancient fortified walls with towers is surprisingly well preserved.
And on the streets of Hann-Münden, you will surely meet organ grinders, who play nagging, delicate old music. Münden has many German legends.
5. Hessisch-Lichtenau (Hessisch Lichtenau) - the city of Madame Blizzards
No one knows exactly where the fabulous Mrs. Metelitsa lives - they say that on one of the peaks between the cities of Heiligenstadt and Göttingen: on Hocher Meissner, on Hörselberg or some other. But, in any case, when there is a thick fluffy snow, all the local children are aware that it is Mrs. Metelitsa that beats her soft and airy feather bed.
Well, the Madame Metelitsa Museum is located in the city of Hessisch-Lichtenau, in the building of the Old Town Hall. In addition, here you can see the monument to Madame Metelitsa, take a walk in the park of Madame Metelitsa (with spindles, gates and a bucket of resin, etc.), as well as find sculptures and images of other heroes of this fairy tale.
4. Göttingen - the city of Girls with a goose
The most famous city of Göttingen (which is more than a thousand years old) was brought by its famous university, where the Grimm brothers taught for 7 years (but were dismissed for too liberal views at that time).
There are always many tourists here, because Göttingen is full of attractions: old bridges, picturesque streets, monuments to scientists and other prominent people, as well as fairy-tale heroes.
The most famous (and most beloved) of them is the fountain-monument "Girl with a Goose" (or "Goose Cowgirl"). According to the old local tradition, every university student who successfully passed the final exams is obliged to kiss the Girl with the goose on both bronze cheeks - for good luck.
And not far from Göttingen there are several other fabulous “locations”:
• Sababurg (Sababurg) - the picturesque ruins of a castle of the XIV century, where, according to legend, the Sleeping Beauty (or Princess Aurora) slept in an enchanted dream for 100 years, waiting for the kiss of the handsome prince. Now here is a private hotel with a restaurant, a theater and even a registry office, as well as a zoo and a large magnificent rose garden;
• Trendelburg - a 13th-century castle with a 40-meter round tower, also persistently claiming the title of "place of events" of the fairy tale of Rapunzel;
• Oberweser-Odelshheim (Oberweser-Oedelsheim) - the "home" of Kota in Boots.
3. Bodenwerder (Bodenwerder) - the birthplace of Munchausen
Baron Jerome Karl Friedrich von Munchausen - almost the only hero on the "Road of Fairy Tales", which was not glorified by the brothers Grimm. Moreover, he is a very real person who was born and lived in the town of Bodenwerder.
And his stories, which the former captain (who, by the way, served in Russia) told his neighbors at an old age — entertaining and absolutely fantastic — were written down and published without the knowledge and consent of the baron (which made him very angry) Rudolf Erich Raspe.
Of course, there is now a Munchausen museum in Bodenwerder, and throughout the city you can find monuments dedicated to him and his adventures - a baron on a flying core and a half of a horse, from which water flows in a stream, a baron pulling himself out of a swamp by a pigtail, etc. . And from May to October, every first Sunday of the month, an idea of Munchausen is played here.
By the way, not far from Bodenwerder is the town of Polle, where there are ruins of an old castle, in which Cinderella allegedly danced at a ball.
2. Hameln - the city of the legend of the Pied Piper
It was in this ancient city (known since 851) that an eerie legend arose about the Pied Piper and his magic pipe, which the Grimm brothers told us. A young man in strange colorful clothes saved Hameln from hordes of rats at the request of the "fathers of the city," luring the gray creatures with the sounds of music and drowning them in the Weser River.
And after they refused to pay him, the Pied Piper took revenge on the whole city, in the same way - with the help of a pipe - leading all the children behind him. There are several versions of the end of this legend: the worst says that the Pied Piper and children also drowned in Weser; the other is that he took them to a fabulous country; another assures that the Pied Piper lured the children into the cave, where they still sleep.
Chronicles say that the legend of the Hameln Pied Piper is based on real events: on June 26, 1284, more than 130 children from 4 years and older actually disappeared from the city at the same time. No one knows where they went and with whom ...
Today in Hameln there is a monument to the Pied Piper, and the Pied Piper House, and on the paving stones you can find images of rats. And from May to September, street shows take place in the city on Sundays, where the Pied Piper takes all the children along.
1. Bremen (Bremen) - the city of Bremen musicians
The final destination of Fairytale Roads is magnificent Bremen. And, I think, no one needs to especially explain which fairy tale is the most popular here. The city was founded by Charles the Great in 787, and of course it has a rich and interesting past, which is reflected in its beautiful architecture and numerous monuments. What is nice - most of them are located right in the old center, very close to each other.
On the main square of Bremen is the Town Hall and a huge statue of the legendary knight Roland (the main symbol of the city). Here, near the side entrance to the Town Hall, since 1951 there has been a bronze sculpture depicting the Bremen Town Musicians: a dog stands on a donkey, a cat on a dog’s back, and a rooster is above all. In addition, images of this fun four can be found throughout the city on signs, advertisements, etc.