Fairytales

Monday, March 8, 2004
Bodenwerder, Germany

The Rat Catcher's house in Hamelin; in 1284, 130 children were led
past here by the Pied Piper, never to be seen again.

This isn't bear country, or even wolf country, really. But alone in the woods at dusk, it's easy to imagine meeting horrific versions of both--or worse--here in fairytale country.

The Fairytale Road, or Deutshe Markenstrasse, is a 400-mile trail in central Germany connecting the towns, villages, and hamlets where the stories popularized by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are set.

Sleeping Beauty…the Pied Piper of Hamelin…Hansel and Gretel…Little Red Riding Hood…Rumplestiltskin…the Musicians of Bremen…Rapunzel…Cinderella…Snow White… These tales and dozens of others originated here, whispered around the hearths in half-timbered villages and swapped among the men and women working in the (still-standing) castles and palaces.

The route runs from Bremen to Hanau, but the section between Hanover and Gottingen is richest in history and folklore. You'll find an information office at every stop along the way, no matter how small the village, detailing the story behind their fairytales. March is a good time to visit, before the season hits.

There's something to strolling about this part of the world, little-changed in the last 200 years, without the benefit of a tour group. A light covering of snow on the forest floor, a lone tendril of smoke barely visible from a distant chimney, this is where Beauty slept, the Pied Piper fled, and two newly plump siblings skipped happily away from the half-eaten house of a vanquished witch.

Len Galvin
For International Living

P.S. The Brothers Grimm collected and published over 200 stories from this region in the early 1800s. Unlike the children's versions you know, this original collection was intended for adults; the tales were extremely dark and were even banned for a time.