Hamelin

Hamelin is one of Germany's "fairy tale" towns. It is known for the Pied Piper legend. In the USSR, this legend was depicted in the animated film "The Enchanted Boy" (1955).


According to legend, in 1284 the town was suffering from rat infestation. A man dressed in colored clothes appeared, claiming to be a rat-catcher. He promised the mayor a solution for their problem with the rats. The mayor in turn promised to pay him for rat removal. The man played a musical pipe to lure the rats into the Weser River. Despite his success, the mayor refused to pay the rat-catcher the full amount of money. The man left the town angrily, but vowed to return some time later, seeking revenge.

On Saint John and Paul's day while the inhabitants were in church, he played his pipe once again, dressed in green like a hunter, this time attracting the children of Hamelin. One hundred and thirty boys and girls followed him out of the town and were never seen again. Depending on the version, at least three children remained behind. One of the children was lame and could not follow quickly enough, the second one was deaf and followed other children out of curiosity, and the last one was blind and unable to see where they were going. These three informed the villagers of what had happened when they came out of church. The event was recorded in the town chronicle, and the record was found in the Piper's house on 28 Ostershtrasse.

There are numerous sculptures of rats and Pied Piper everywhere in Hamelin. There are rats of all shapes and sizes almost in every window. Besides, every summer theatrical performance based on the legend is held here. So we can say that due to the legend an ordinary town receives a very large flow of tourists.

The city is located on the Weser River, there is a beautiful island-park, which can be reached via a bridge with a golden mouse. The island has a good playground and restaurant.






We also climbed the mountain with the Klütturm observation tower, you can get there by car (52.095222, 9.338083). The tower was built in 1843.














Getting there: By regional train from Hannover.