I set off for the village of Trendelburg, where legend says Rapunzel
let down her hair – or, at least, where there is a hotel and teashop
cashing in on the story. Truth or no (and in fairyland, what does
it matter?), the round tower is exactly as tales tell, with a funnel-
shaped roof and even a long, blonde plait hanging down its side.
SHE
LOOKEDAT the locals in their costumes, thendownat her
jeans. “Where’smy fairy godmotherwithmy ballgown?”
Just as fairy tales often don’t have just one version, this route isn’t
just one road – you can pick from a network of destinations. It’s
possible to just autobahn it between the big cities but that would miss
the teeny rural hamlets that are the heart of Grimm country.
Day two is spent wending through these, the scenery rewarding
each detour with treats straight out of the stories. Deer graze in a
forest clearing, songbirds perch on gnarly tree branches like witchy
fingers, tiny cottages with chimneys puff cheery plumes. You don’t
have to have been to Germany to know these places – you’ve seen
them in books, films and in your dreams.
Bökendorf, with its tiny literature museum in the Bökerhof Manor
House, is the heartland of German romanticism. Twee cottages have
cheery heart-shaped signs reading
Herzlich Willkommen
(
a heartfelt
welcome). Cords of firewood are neatly stacked by doors. I expect to
see flaxen-haired maidens swinging their milk pails, but instead,
stopping in the neighbouring town of Brakel to see a fairy-tale
fountain, I find a street party in full swing, with costumed locals –
sailors, bees, hippies and flamingoes – drinking beer and dancing
outside bars.
On weekends from April to October, many of these small
communities come to life when the Grimm stories are performed in
public spaces.
Hansel and Gretel
is hosted in Höxter, fittingly home to
the most
Bäckereien
(
bakeries) I’ve ever seen, as well as ornate
wooden houses that have multicoloured wooden beams that look like
candy canes. “The style is called Weser Renaissance,” a woman from
the local tourist office explains. “Wealthy local people would go to
Italy and copy the façades on their houses to show off how rich they
were.” The houses’ resemblance to the confectionary-laden cottage in
Hansel and Gretel
is, quite simply, uncanny.
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