FAIRY TALE ROAD OFFERS INSIGHTS
INTO THE BROTHERS GRIMM
 Sababurg's "Sleeping Beauty Castle,"
It’s been a good year for the Brothers Grimm. Earlier this year, a collection of their famed “Fairy Tales” was added to the prestigious UNESCO “Memory of the World” list of world heritage documents. Now, “The Brothers Grimm,” a Hollywood production based loosely on the lives of the 18th-century German scholars, is coming to theaters.
The Grimms’ world is still very much alive in the parts of Germany where they collected their tales. Even if you no longer believe in fairy tales, its not hard to imagine Rapunzel letting her incredibly long tresses down the side of a tower of one of the medieval castles in the region between Frankfurt, Hanover and Bremen.
Today, the German cities of Hanau, Steinau and der Strasse, Marburg, Kassel, Sababurg and Bremen have much to offer in the way of fairy tale magic, so much so that they have been called Germany’s “Fairy Tale Road.” In the towns along the 372-mile-long “Maerchenstrasse,” you can trace the milestones of the Grimms’ lives and enjoy festive depictions of the local tales they made famous worldwide.
ABOUT THE BROTHERS GRIMM
Jacob and William Grimm
Few literature professors have had as lasting an impact on their field as Jacob Ludwig Carl and Wilhelm Carl Grimm, born in Hanau in 1785 and 1786, respectively. They attended the University of Marburg to study law but soon decided to devote their lives to literature and linguistics, spending their most productive years of collecting, researching and publishing in Kassel, where both worked as librarians. They published the first 86 texts of Kinder und Hausmaerchen (Children' and Household Tales) 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 has become a veritable encyclopedia of European 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 Goettingen, but were expelled from the university (and Jacob from the state of Hanover) in 1837 for participating in the Goettinger 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.
THE FAIRY TALE ROAD
HANAU
 The Brothers Grimm monument in Hanau.
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.
The city, less than an hour’s drive from the transportation hub of Frankfurt, hosts the Fairy Tale Festival (Maerchenfestspiele) 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 are held almost daily and have previously included "Sleeping Beauty" (Dornröschen) and ballet productions of "Snow White" (Schneewittchen) and "A Midsummer Nights Dream."
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's family home, 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 its motto "Fairy tales become reality" — is also home to the renowned marionette theater, Die Holzkoeppe (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!
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
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 Hausmaerchen (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 Hausmaerchen. Visitors may also be surprised to find an exhibit dedicated to the "third" Grimm brother, Ludwig Emil, a painter and illustrator.
Kassel has much to offer aside from fairy tales. Be sure to plan time in your visit to Kassel for an excursion to Wilhelmshoehe Park with its Hercules monument, the city's trademark, and cascading water displays (Wasserspiele) dating from the 1700s. 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.
SABABURG
Who could resist stopping in this little town that boasts Sleeping Beauty's Castle, (Das Dornroeschenschloss)? 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
The donkey, dog, cat and rooster
that make up the Bremen Town Musicians
At the northern end of the Maerchenstrasse, 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. 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.
For a brochure, please contact the German National Tourist Office. See the link below.
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