50 years of the German Fairytale Route – Follow in the footsteps of the Brothers Grimm
Rapunzel's tower, the Frau-Holle-Land Geo-Nature Park and the castle where Sleeping Beauty lay for 100 years: the German Fairytale Route is home to plenty of spots that exist not only in fairy tales, but also in real life. And in 2025, it's celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The 600-kilometre route leads from Hanau to Bremen and connects around 70 locations to create a fabulous itinerary. These include the places where Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm were born, studied, worked and lived, as well as gorgeous half-timbered towns, natural landscapes and towering castles and palaces. You can now also experience the German Fairytale Route by bike or e-bike.
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Hanau
Once upon a time, there were two brothers of almost the same age: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The most famous German storytellers, and creators of the well-known fairytale opening line "Once upon a time", were born in Hanau am Main in 1785 and 1786 respectively. Still today, the Brothers Grimm National Monumentcommemorates them and marks the starting point of the German Fairytale Route.
Not far away lies Philippsruhe Castle with the "GrimmsMärchenReich" (English: Grimms Fairy Tale Empire) hands-on museum and castle garden, where the "Brothers Grimm Festival" takes place every year.
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Steinau an der Straße
How did this small town with only 10,000 inhabitants come to be called the official "Brothers Grimm Town"? Well, this is where the brothers spent their childhood. It's also home to the Brothers Grimm House, one of the largest museums dedicated to the brothers. And there's a fantastic fairytale fountain here. The "Holzköppe" puppet theatre is also worth seeing, where fairy tales are acted out with hand puppets.
The early Renaissance Steinau Castle is almost completely preserved and represents a beautiful blend of fortress architecture and elegant castle construction.
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Alsfeld
This exemplary preserved half-timbered town looks like something out of a fairytale book. Its historic 16th-century town hall is a real highlight and a popular photo spot, while the Alsfeld Fairytale House finds imaginative ways to bring the Brothers Grimm stories to life.
Tip: Alsfeld is known as the gateway to Little Red Riding Hood country, a wooded region where you can meet several Little Red Riding Hoods who still wear the traditional Schwalm costume and headpiece.
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Marburg
There are many 'keep yourself trim trails', but only one Grimm trail . And it's in Marburg an der Lahn. These two kilometres are a real workout – and you can learn about the most beautiful fairytales by the Brothers Grimm, who attended university here in Marburg. From the Frog Prince to Snow White's high heels, the stage painter Pasquale Ippolito has created larger-than-life figures and scattered them around the old town below the Landgrafen Palace, which is home to countless historic half-timbered houses.
Tip: an almost 800-year-old castle ruin towers high above Mellnau. The Frauenberg ruins also offer gorgeous, sweeping views over the Marburg countryside .
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Kassel
Long before the first Documenta exhibition took place, the Grimms lived in Kassel for almost 30 years and compiled a large part of their "Children's and Household Tales" here. As the world's most widely read German-language book, it's even listed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. The originals are on display at Grimm World , which opened here in 2015. There, visitors can learn even more about the life and work of the Grimms – in an artistic, modern, multimedia format.
Tip: over 200 geotopes, two dozen premium hiking trails, half-timbered towns, castles and fortresses: you can discover all this and more in the Geo-Nature Park Frau-Holle-Land.
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Göttingen
More than 40 Nobel Prize winners, numerous inventors – and the Brothers Grimm, who worked here as librarians and professors from 1829 to 1837 – have contributed to the Georg August University's great reputation. A memorial plaque at 6 Goetheallee and the Paulinerkirche with its library hall commemorate their time in Göttingen. However, the city's biggest eye-catcher is the esteemed Gänseliesel fountain in front of the historic town hall.
Tip: discover the Sleeping Beauty Castle Sababurg , as well as Rapunzel's tower in Trendelburg on your way north.
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Hamelin
This town in the hills of the Weserbergland is the setting for the 'Pied Piper of Hamelin'. If you need to refresh your memory, dozens of performers at the Sunday Pied Piper open-air play will help you out, as well as the humorous musical 'Rats'. Enjoy a stroll through the old town with its alleyways and Weser Renaissance buildings. One of the most magnificent buildings is the Pied Piper House from 1602.
Tip: Bodenwerder, the home town of Baron Münchhausen, is the perfect starting point for hikes and cycling tours in the hilly Weserbergland region.
©WFB Bremen
Bremen
The (almost) end point of the Fairytale Route is the west side of Bremen Town Hall, where a bronze sculpture of the Bremen Town Musicians stands tall. Next door in the Domshof town square, the story of these mythical creatures is told once a week – live, life-size and free of charge.
A chapter is also dedicated to them in the Bremer Geschichtenhaus, located in the oldest and bustling Schnoor district. The top attraction of this over 1,200-year-old Hanseatic city is the Roland statue, which together with the town hall forms a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
These eight spots are just the beginning of your journey along the German Fairytale Route! Dive deeper and discover mystical castles, enchanted woodlands and charming places where the magic of these fairytales is still alive today.
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These eight spots are just the beginning of your journey along the German Fairytale Route! Dive deeper and discover mystical castles, enchanted woodlands and charming places where the magic of these fairytales is still alive today.