50 years of the Fairy Tale Route: from Hanau to Bremen

The German Fairy Tale Route (Deutsche Märchenstraße) is a tourist attraction in Germany that was originally established in 1975. With a length of 600 kilometers, the route runs from Hanau in central Germany to Bremen in the north. Tourist attractions along the route are centered around the brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, including locations where they lived and worked at various stages of their lives, as well as regions connected to the fairy tales in the Grimm collection. In She celebrates 2025 her 50th anniversary. Have you driven this route before?

German Fairy Tale Route

The German Fairy Tale Route is 600 kilometers long and runs from Hanau to Bremen. The route includes locations that inspired Grimm's fairy tales and eight nature parks, including the Spessart Nature Park, the Hoher Vogelsberg Nature Park, the Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park, the Meißner-Kaufungenwald Nature Park, the Habichtswald Nature Park, and the Weserbergland Nature Park. The towns and villages associated with the Brothers Grimm and situated along the route are Hanau, Steinau, Marburg, and Kassel. The original Kinder- und Hausmärchen, published by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in 1812 and now known as Grimm's Fairy Tales, can be found in Kassel. In 2005, this collection was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Several places along the Fairy Tale Route are connected to the fairy tales themselves.

In the town of Alsfeld, visitors can see the so-called House of Little Red Riding Hood. The spa town of Bad Wildungen offers a Snow White Museum. Dorothea Viehmann, from whom the Grimms learned many of the fairy tales in their collection, was born in what is now the municipality of Baunatal. According to legend, Mother Hulda is said to have lived on the hill Hoher Meissner. Sababurg, located in the Reinhardswaldpark, is also known as Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

Other sights include the city of Hamelin, known for the Pied Piper of Hamelin; the spa town of Bad Oeynhausen, with a museum dedicated to fairy tales and local legends; and the city of Bremen, famous for the story of the Bremen Town Musicians.

The attractions along the route also include countless picturesque medieval towns. In 1975, the Council of Europe recognized Alsfeld granted the status of a model community for the protection of historic buildings in Europe. Münden has some 700 half-timbered houses. The 1300-year-old city of Fritzlar is famous for its Imperial Cathedral. Hamelin is home to beautiful examples of Weser Renaissance architecture. Also of particular interest are the Baroque gardens of Schloss Philippsruhe in Hanau, the fountains in the hill park of Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe, and the Bremen City Hall with the adjacent Roland statue (both on the UNESCO World Heritage List). The 200th anniversary of the first publication of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm was celebrated in 2012-2013 with a series of events. Numerous other events, open-air festivals, exhibitions, and performances dealing with the theme of fairy tales are organized annually.  

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German Fairy Tale Route: https://www.deutsche-maerchenstrasse.com/ NL version: https://www.deutsche-maerchenstrasse.com/en/duitse-sprookjesroute Deutsche Märchenstraße (German Tourist Office): https://www.germany.travel/de/kampagne/maerchenstrasse/home.html