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Fairy Tale Road
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Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and
the Frog Prince might all have called the towns along the Fairy Tale
Road their home. |
Even if you no longer believe in fairy tales, its not hard to imagine
Rappunzel letting down her incredibly long tresses from the tower of one
of the medieval castles in this region between Frankfurt, Hannover and
Bremen (though the town Trendelburg claims to have the authentic tower).
While the characters may not be real, the two Hessians credited with cataloging
German folktales for posterity, the Brothers Grimm, certainly were. In
the towns along the 372-mile-long Fairy Tale Road, you can trace the milestones
of their lives and enjoy festive depictions of the local tales they made
famous worldwide. InFocus has chosen to highlight Hanau, Steinau and der
Straße, Marburg, Kassel, Sababurg and Bremen. The
Fairy Tale Road homepage is in German only, but you can order brochures
with information in English. The best place to start when planning a trip
is the German
Tourism Office website.
 Brothers
Grimm
Hanau
Steinau
an der Straße
Marburg
Kassel
Sababurg
Bremen
Brothers Grimm
| The Brothers Grimm published one of the most
influential books in the German language. |
 |
Jacob Ludwig Carl and Wilhelm Carl were born in Hanau in 1785 and 1786,
respectively. They attended the University of Marburg to study law but
soon turned all their attention to literary research. They spent their
most productive years of collecting, researching and publishing in Kassel,
where both worked as librarians. They first published , Kinder und
Hausmärchen (Children' and Household Tales) with 86 texts in
1812 with a second volume following in 1814 with 70 more tales. Updated
six times in their lifetime, the work was translated into 160 languages
and would become a veritable encyclopaedia of German folk tales and one
of the most influential books in the German language.
In 1819, they received honorary doctorates from their alma mater, the
University of Marburg, for their scholarly work in folklore, linguistics
and medieval studies. They later took professorships at the University
of Göttingen, but were expelled from the university (and Jacob from
the state of Hanover) in 1837 for participating in the Göttinger
Seven protest against the suspension of the state constitution by Ernest
Augustus, king of Hanover. In 1840 they accepted an invitation from Frederick
William IV of Prussia, to go to Berlin to lecture and research. They both
died in Berlin, Wilhelm Carl in 1859 and Jacob Ludwig in 1863.
Hanau
 |
Brothers Grimm National Monument
on the market square. |
Travelers can begin their exploration of the Fairy Tale Road at any point,
of course, but the official starting point is Hanau ,the birthplace of
the Brothers Grimm. A definite photo-op is a stop in front of the Brothers
Grimm National Monument on the market square. The city, less than an hour
drive from the transportation hub of Frankfurt, hosts the Fairy-Tale Festival
(Märchenfestspiele) each summer on the grounds of the baroque Philippsruhe
Castle, a summer residence built by Count Philipp Reinhard in 1701. In
years past, the festival has drawn upwards of 70,000 visitors. Performances
in 2002 will be held almost daily from May 16 through June 30 and will
include "Sleeping Beauty" (Dornröschen) and ballet productions
of "Snow White" (Schneewittchen) and "A Midsummer Nights
Dream."
You can also visit the Hessen Regional Garden Show, in Hanau until the
beginning of October 2002. Just outside the city lies Wilhelmsbad, a spa
and amusement park built around a natural spring in the late 1700s. The
spring dried up a century ago, but Wilhelmsbad is still a popular destination
for its beautiful grounds, the Hessen Doll Museum and cultural events.
Steinau an der Straße
 |
The Grimm family home is now a museum. |
Here you can visit the picturesque Grimm family home and museum, the
last remaining building that was once home to the Brothers Grimm. The
Grimm family lived in Steinau
from 1791 to 1796. The medieval town with the motto, "fairy tales
become reality," is also home to the renowned marionette theater,
Die Holzköppe (the Wooden Heads), housed in the former stables of
the town castle. Younger children will love the town's adventure park
(Erlebnispark)
with its petting zoo, mini-train, and other rides and amusements. Admission
prices are based on height - visitors under 90 cm (that's 2 feet 11 inches)
get in free! The park is open daily through October 13.
| Die Holzköppe (the Wooden Heads) are housed
in the former stables of the town castle. |
 |
Marburg
The Brothers Grimm both studied law in Marburg
and began collecting regional folktales here. This university city on
the banks of the Lahn River is worth a visit for its castle, with its
15th-century Wilhelmsbau (Knights Hall) addition. The Wilhelmsbau was
the site of the Marburg Religious Discussions of 1529 between Martin Luther
and Swiss reformer Zwingli. The castle houses the Museum for Cultural
History. Another highlight of Marburg is the Elisabethkirche, the oldest
gothic church in Germany, built from 1235 to 1283.
Kassel
 |
Be sure to visit Wilhelmshöhe
Park on your route along the Fairy Tale Road. |
The Brothers Grimm worked as librarians here from 1808 to 1830. It is
from here that they first published their collection of fairy tales, Kinder
und Hausmärchen (Children and Household Tales. Appropriately,
Kassel boasts the Brothers Grimm Museum,
including an archive and research center, in the Palais Bellevue. Among
the museum's artifacts is a handwritten manuscript of Kinder und Hausmärchen.
Visitors may also be surprised to find an exhibit dedicated to the "third"
Grimm brother, Ludwig Emil, a painter and illustrator. The museum is open
daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kassel has much to offer aside from fairy tales. Be sure to plan time
in your visit to Kassel for an excursion to Wilhelmshöhe
Park with its Hercules monument, the city's trademark, and cascading
water displays (Wasserspiele) dating from the 1700s. The park,
which also includes the castle for which it is named, is closed on Mondays.
You can let a visit to the Museum
for Sepulchral Culture (Museum für Sepulkralkultur) bring you
back down to earth. It features exhibits on all things related to death,
burial and commemoration.
Every five years, Kassel becomes the focal point of the contemporary art
world as the host of the Documenta exhibition. When making plans to visit
Kassel in 2002, be aware that Documenta11
will be held from June 8 to September 15.
Sababurg
| You can have a fairy-tale wedding in the "real"
Sleeping Beauty's castle. |
|
Who could resist stopping in this little town that boasts Sleeping
Beauty's Castle, (Das Dornröschenschloss)? The picturesque castle
dates from 1490. It was restored beginning in 1959 after a century in
ruin. You can have a fairy-tale wedding in the castle, or just let yourself
be pampered in the hotel and restaurant. A theater in the cellar and the
beautiful gardens are added attractions.
Sababurg is also home to an animal park, Tierpark Sababurg, with over
80 animal species, including bison, wolves, lynx, and wild deer.
Bremen
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These four characters have become
something of a Bremen icon. |
At the northern end of the Märchenstrasse, Bremen
bills itself as the home of the Grimm's fairy tale characters, the Town
Musicians. Hometown sculptor Gerhard Marcks' bronze statue of the four
characters has become something of a Bremen icon. Every Sunday from May
through September, you can enjoy free open-air performances by the Town
Musicians themselves (actually actors with the Waldau Theater) in front
of city hall. A stroll through the narrow twisting streets of Bremen's
Schnoorviertel, with its tiny half-timbered houses, will take you back
to the 15th and 16th centuries. If you're planning a trip for the fall,
don't miss the Bremen Freimarkt, at 965-years-old, it's one of Germany's
oldest folk festivals. This year, it will be held from October 18 through
November 3. A short distance from Bremen is the town of Verden,
home of the German Horse Museum and, for the kids, Magic Park Verden,
a wooded amusement park with more than 70 attractions
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