Entdecke DE: German Fairytale Route
The “Entdecke DE” series takes you on a tour through Germany – this time along the German Fairy Tale Road.
If you would like to deepen your understanding the Brothers Grimm's fairy tales, you might like to take a poetic journey from the River Main to the sea.
“The good ones go into the pot, the bad ones go into your crop”
The search for clues begins in Hanau, just 20 kilometres from Frankfurt-am-Main, where Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born. Every summer at the Philippsruhe Palace Amphitheatre, the curtain is raised on the Fairy Tale Festival – e.g. for a determined girl named Cinderella, who finally makes it to the top thanks to a lost shoe.
“Grandmother, what big ears you have”
The journey continues to the north via Marburg, where the fabulous Brothers Grimm spent their study years, deep in the Hessian province: in the Schwälmer Land between Alsfeld and Fritzlar. The fairy-tale collectors are said to have encountered the stories of Little Red Riding Hood here. Indeed, women still wear the traditional costume with a red cap here today on special occasions. There are no reports of encounters with wolves, however.
“Sleeping Beauty was a beautiful child”
North of the UNESCO World Heritage town of Kassel is the Sababurg, regarded by many as the “Sleeping Beauty Castle”, in the legend-shrouded Reinhardswald Forest. In the 19th century the castle was abandoned and fell into a 100-year sleep – almost like in a fairy tale. Today the walls have been kissed awake and visitors can book tours and other activities.
“You can find something better than death everywhere”
After approximately 600 kilometres and dozens of stages, the Fairytale Route ends in north Germany. In Bremen you meet the ass, the dog, the cat and the cock of the famous Town Musicians on an animal-themed walking tour.
30th Brothers Grimm Festival Hanau in the Philippsruhe Palace Amphitheatre from 16 May to 27 July
www.deutsche-maerchenstrasse.com
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