Yeap, you read that right – The Fairy Tale Route.
I’d heard of a 600km stretch of road from the town of Hanau all the way to Bremen that had been dubbed “The Fairy Tale Route”. The route revolves around the fairy tales that were collected and published by two German brothers known as Brothers Grimm. Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, The Pied Piper, and Rapunzel are only a handful of their popular fairy tales.
The route passes through medieval towns and villages, with cobblestone streets, traditional timber houses, and over 20 castles and palaces.
We unfortunately only managed a snippet of the route and traveled to the towns of Marburg and Fritzlar.
Marburg:
Marburg was the larger town of the two. It had a very youthful atmosphere due to it being a University Town. In fact, the Brothers Grimm resided in the University Town back in 1803 – 1806. It is a quirky artsy, medieval town with steep cobbled streets, narrow windy alleyways gothic architecture, and a 13th-century sandstone church. Wandering through the town, you’ll stumble upon a large shoe belonging to Cinderella, the heads of several goats and a lone hungry wolf, and a trail to find Hansel and Gretal.
Fritzlar:
The small town of Fritzlar was easily my favorite of the two. The Marketplaz is filled with half-timbered homes and shops that make you feel like youvé stopped into the pages of a storybook – a fairy tale book for that matter.
