Snow White - GERMANY'S FAIRY TALE ROAD

A trip through Germany, following a fairy-tale route, would pass by “Mad King Leopold’s” castle known as Neuschwanstein. It was used as a model, of course, for “Sleeping Beauty’s” castle in the famous Disney film. The setting for this awesome place—above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria—is itself breathtakingly beautiful. Click on the image for a better view.

Princesses, castles, beautiful scenery ... not to mention ... deep forests, half-timbered cottages and meandering rivers are part of most fairy tales. 

The stories behind these tales, which were gathered by the Brothers Grimm, have their settings in a part of Germany known as "Fairy Tale Road."  The road stretches about 370 miles (595 kilometers) beween Hanau and Bremen.

Along the Fairy Tale Road, we see the following sights (and places):

• Hanau - Jakob Grimm (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859) were born in this town (which is now a suburb of Frankfurt).  The Fairy Tale Road begins at a monument dedicated to the Brothers Grimm at Neustadter Marktplatz.

• Gelnhausen - In the 12th century, Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa built a castle on an island near this quaint town.

• Steinau an der Strasse - The Brothers Grimm spent their childhood here.  The city's cobblestone streets feature half-timbered buildings - just like the Grimm house - while the nearby forests could have been home to Snow White.

• Lauterbach - This town - where the "Little Scalawag" lost his sock (in a Grimm Brothers' tale) - features two castles known as Eisenbach and Riedesel.

• Alsfeld - The Old Town Hall (the Altes Rathaus), in this city, dates back to 1512.

• Trendelburg - Following the road along an area known as Rotkäppchenland ("Little Red Riding Hood country"), we reach this small town near the Diemel River.  Rising above most of the surrounding structures, the Trendelburg Tower is rumored to be the place where Rapunzel - imprisoned by a wicked witch - let down her long, golden hair.

• Kassel - The Waldeck region (home to Margarete von Waldeck) and the Reinhardswald (Reinhards Forest, around Kassel) are nearby places where magic spells, sleeping princesses, witches and frightening beasts had their birth.  The Grimm brothers lived in Kassel, between 1709 to 1830, where they were influenced by all the legends.        

• Münden - Hundreds of half-timbered houses characterize this town where Doctor Eisenbarth (a real Brothers-Grimm character who lived between 1663-1727) has a much-visited tombstone.  During the fall season, the town itself looks like a fairy-tale setting.

• Sababurg - In the lush park setting of Hofgeismar, amidst all the trees and rural beauty, we find a castle known as Dornröschenschloss Sababurg.  History tells us this is the setting for the story of "Sleeping Beauty."  The park is one of the oldest zoological gardens in the world.

• Hameln - Known in English as Hamelin, this town is the setting for the tale of the Pied Piper.  Because rats play a key role in the story, pictures (and figures) of rats are seen everywhere.

• Bremen - The Fairy Tale Road ends at this German port town where a guild hall (the Schotting) dates back to the 16th century and the Grimm Brothers' tale of the Bremen Town Musicians still resonates.

At the end of the journey along Fairy Tale Road, we're left with one significant observation.  Fairy tales just might be more real than legend!

ISSUES AND QUESTIONS TO PONDER:  Given the evidence in this story, do you think that fairy tales are just legends - or - do you think they are a mixture of legend and historical reality?  Explain your answer. 

Of the bullet points above, which one surprised you the most?  Why?