Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale Road-
Today I would like to share with you about Brothers Grimm, Fairy Tale Road- a literary trip of a lifetime.
Twice now, I have visited the Deutsche Maerchenstrasse. Located north of Frankfurt, this is one of my favorite family locations. The reason why I loved this trip so much was because of the fact that I love to read, and I love some happy endings!
Many of Disney’s original movies were inspired by the Brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Truth be told, not all of them had happy endings, but they gave people hope.
You can get a map and information about this trip on the original Deutsche- Maerchenstrasse website below:
http://www.deutsche-maerchenstrasse.com/en/?lang=en_US
Learn more…
I want to share a bit from our trip with you all.
I have been learning that the future is a mystery. The past is gone. All we have is today, and all we should do is enjoy the present, for it is the only thing we are promised. So if the opportunity arises, TRAVEL THE WORLD.
Happiness does not believe in what IF’s and then… Happiness is being able to live the moment and enjoy it!
I first went on this trip with a friend and a combined group of 3 kids under the age of 4.
It was the end of August, and we decided to drive around to visit the different towns. We chose a few of our favorite fairy tales and followed the road.
It is a short distance from Frankfurt. The roads are windy, but since it is not a touristy place, we did not encounter a lot of traffic or a lot of stress.
This was a great trip with the kids. They were fascinated with the castles.
The second time we went on this trip, I went with my husband and our two children, ages 7 and 3, at the time. We went in early August. The weather was warm.
The kids loved walking through all the different gardens.
Family memories were definitely made!
A wonderful thing about this trip is the opportunity just to explore Germany in a very relaxed environment.
Hanau
Hanau…
Well, if you are flying to Frankfurt, you are really close to the start of this journey. Located about 25 km east of Frankfurt, Hanau provides excellent public transport and is well connected to the main Autobahnen (motorways) in the Rhine-Main area.
Hanau- The birthplace of the brothers Grimm.
It is important to know that by the end of World War II, 80% of the town was destroyed.
In the center of the town, you will see a beautiful statue of the brothers Grimm.
Steinau Der an Der Straße- Steinau on the road- This is the little town where the Brothers- Grimm grew up. Their father was a lawyer and worked as a magistrate. In this town, you can visit their house and a little museum. In the city of Stein, you will also see a castle.
Alsfeld- The little town of Red Riding Hood- the city center of this town is just so cute!
According to the legend, newborn children are delivered in this cute town by the stork!
In this town, you will find lots of statues of Red Riding Hood and the Wolf.
Marburg- This is the cutest town I have ever visited in Germany. At Phillips University, you will find manuscripts from the estate of the Brothers Grim and pencil drawing by their brother Ludwig Grimm are owned by the University Museum of Cultural Arts in the castle. The brothers Grimm would invite storytellers to their home and then have them tell tales aloud, which the Grimms either noted down on first hearing or after a couple of readings- the storytellers were educated and from the middle class or aristocracy.
Bad Wildungen- The town of Snow White.
Waldeck- This is the entrance to the dwarfs’ world.
Kassel
Kassel- UNESCO World Heritage Site: The grandiose Statue of Hercules. I stayed in a cute hotel in the town of Kassel. The food was delicious too!
Trendelburg- This is the town that has Rapunzel’s tower. There is a restaurant and a beautiful park where you can sit and enjoy the view with your family as well as tell your kids some stories!
Sababurg- The Castle of Sababurg is so cute. You can have a meal in the garden. My kids enjoyed running around the castle ruins and also playing in the garden. The fairies on the walls of the castle made me feel I was in a true fairy tale.
Polle- Also keeps up with the theme of Cinderella with a big shoe in the garden of the castle. The views are breathtaking.
Hameln
Hameln- The old town of Hameln is so cute. We went there on a Sunday morning, and there was a play in the middle of town. The mice (kids) running around town were too cute, though the story is pretty dark; what happened to 130 kids in 1284? Pied Piper- Town of Hamelin-
Now, I didn’t visit all the towns on the trail. I shared a little about each town that I did visit.
I highly recommend this trip to anyone living overseas or anyone planning a trip to Germany. This is a family-friendly trip! Promised to enchant both children and adults alike!
If you want to learn more about Hanau, here: http://www.germany-insider-facts.com/hanau-germany.html#history
Check out the links and visit Germany!
http://www.deutsche-maerchenstrasse.com/en/?lang=en_US
Thank you for reading, and if you are interested in reading more about our travels, click here!
With love,
Raquel
