Fairy-Tale Road

The 600km Märchenstrasse (Fairy-Tale Road) is one of Germany’s most popular tourist routes. It’s made up of cities, towns and hamlets in four states (Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine–Westphalia and Bremen), and isn't actually a single road: all its sites are connected by association with the works of Jakob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859) Grimm.

There are over 60 stops on the Märchenstrasse. Major ones include (from south to north): Hanau, the birthplace of Jakob and Wilhelm; Steinau, where the brothers spent their youth; Marburg, in the university in which they studied for a short time; Kassel, with a world-class museum dedicated to the Grimms; Göttingen, where they served as professors in the university before being expelled in 1837 for their liberal views; Bodenwerder, made (in)famous by the 'Liar Baron' von Münchhausen; and Hamelin (Hameln), forever associated with the legend of the Pied Piper.

Explore Fairy-Tale Road

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Fairy-Tale Road.

  • Statue

    Herkules

    Erected between 1707 and 1717 by Landgrave Karl and declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 2013, the 8.25m-high copper Herkules statue stands atop a…

  • Area

    Altstadt

    One of the joys of Marburg is simply strolling around its steeply winding medieval core. Its focal point is the Marktplatz; on the southern side is the…

  • Park

    Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe

    Situated 6.5km west of Kassel Hauptbahnhof, and 3km west of Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe station, in the enchanting Habichtswald nature park, this spectacular 560…

  • National Park

    Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee

    Hesse's first national park encompasses the Kellerwald, one of the largest extant red-beech forests in Central Europe and a rare survivor of the last Ice…

  • Palace

    Schloss Wilhelmshöhe

    Erstwhile home to Kaiser Wilhelm II, Wilhelmshöhe Palace (1786–98) at the foot of Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, today houses one of Germany’s greatest art…

  • Museum

    Grimmwelt

    Occupying a prime position atop the Weinberg bunker in the scenic Weinbergpark, the fabulous Grimmwelt could be described as an architect-designed walk-in…

  • Church

    Michaelskirche

    A living kernel of Fulda's long history, this early-9th-century church was once the cemetery chapel for the Benedictine monastery around which the town…

  • Castle

    Stadtschloss

    Fulda's spectacular Stadtschloss (town castle) was built from 1706 to 1721 as the prince-abbots' residence. Designed by famed baroque architect Johann…

  • Castle

    Schloss Hämelschenburg

    Some 11km southwest of Hamelin, in pretty parkland near the Emmer River, sits this stunning palace, built in the Italianate Weser Renaissance style…

  • Church

    Elisabethkirche

    Built by the knights of the Teutonic Order between 1235 and 1283 (its two high spires were added later), the Protestant Elisabethkirche is Germany’s…

  • Palace

    Schloss Wilhelmsthal

    About 15km northwest of Kassel you'll find one of Germany's best-preserved and most beautiful rococo palaces, built by Landgrave Wilhelm VIII as a leisure…

  • Museum

    Fridericianum

    This excellent contemporary art museum hosts temporary exhibitions and symposia exploring relevant, topical themes such as the re-emergence of fascism in…

  • Forest

    Göttinger Wald

    Göttinger Wald is one of the best mixed forest stands of predominantly beech and oak in the region. It’s easily reached by following Herzberger…

  • Historic Building

    Altes Rathaus

    Built in 1270, the Old Town Hall once housed the merchants’ guild. Inside, later decorations added to its Great Hall include frescos of the coats of arms…

  • Castle

    Landgrafenschloss

    Perched at the highest point in Marburg is the massive Landgrave Castle, built between 1248 and 1300 by the first Hessian Landgrave, Heinrich I, on the…

  • Museum

    Museum Hameln

    Many of Hamelin’s finest buildings were constructed in the Weser Renaissance style, which has strong Italian influences. Since 1912, two of the best have…

  • Museum

    Vonderau Museum

    Named for an amateur archaeologist who discovered Stone, Bronze and Iron Age relics in the area (the seeds of the current collection), the Vonderau has…

  • Museum

    Städtisches Museum

    This lovely four-storey fachwerk house, where Johannes Brahms stayed in the summer of 1853, is home to an interesting series of exhibits on Göttingen's…

  • Historic Building

    Hochzeitshaus

    Situated on the corner of Markt and Osterstrasse is the Hochzeitshaus (1610–17), built to house weddings and other ceremonies. The last structure built in…

  • Cathedral

    Dom zu Fulda

    Inside the baroque Dom (cathedral), built from 1704 to 1712, you’ll find gilded furnishings, plenty of putti (figures of infant boys), some dramatic…