Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker brings forth all the destinations that inspired scholars Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm to write fairy tales such as the Pied Piper of Hamelin and Cinderella TTN is the most established trade publication in the Middle East distributed on a controlled circulation basis to members of the travel and tourism industry Published monthly by Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group TTN is aimed at professionals in the industry from travel agents to airline and hotel personnel TTN provides in-depth and extensive coverage of relevant issues in the Middle East and North Africa as well as in other parts of the world and new appointments together with information on up-coming exhibitions marketing and promotional campaigns are presented in an innovative and striking colour tabloid Every issue also contains a collation of international and regional news and topical features of interest to readers Contact us: info@ttnonline.com @2025 - NorthStar Media. All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by NorthStar Media From half-timbered medieval towns to cosmopolitan cities Germany offers a thoroughly engaging mix of tradition and modernity You can explore Bavaria’s magnificent baroque palaces one day historic sites such as the Brandenburg Gate and contemporary art galleries create exciting contrasts discovering world-class museums and cutting-edge design is as quintessentially German as grabbing a stein of beer at a centuries-old biergarten energetic Berlin has grabbed the world’s attention with its exuberant urban life and vibrant arts scene The banks of the Rhine are crowned by magnificent castle after castle and by breathtaking vine-terraced hills that provide the livelihood for many of the.. Known today as the city of laptops and lederhosen modern Munich is a cosmopolitan playground that nevertheless represents what the rest of the world incorrectly.. Germany's traditional charm is most evident in the eastern states of Saxony Although the area formed the cultural core of the former.. Frequently described as "the gateway to the world" by its proud citizens the handsome port city of Hamburg has for centuries welcomed merchants Germany's true north is a quiet and peaceful region that belies Although many consider Frankfurt more or less a gateway to their European travels ancient kingdom of the Franks is the region known today as Franken (Franconia) This region of vineyards and picturesque villages is the home of the German Wine Road and the country's.. A wood so dense that the sun couldn't penetrate the thick pine trees—that's how the Black Forest—Schwarzwald in German—got its name Heidelberg remains one of the best-known and most visited cities in Germany identifiable by its graceful baroque towers and the majestic ruins of its red-sandstone.. Nowhere cries "quintessential German" quite as loudly as the Romantische Strasse a 355-km (220-mile) drive through the south-central countryside the Bodensee (Lake Constance) is ringed with little towns and busy resorts and geranium-covered houses: the Bavarian Alps come closest to what many of us envision as "Germany." Quaint towns full of.. With a name evocative of magic and adventure the Fairy-Tale Road (Märchenstrasse) takes its travelers on a path through the land of the Brothers Grimm.. If any city in Germany encapsulates the spirit of the country Scores of poets and composers—virtually the entire 19th-century German Romantic movement—have.. Köln (Cologne in English) is the largest city on the Rhine (the fourth largest in Germany) and one of the most interesting Leipzig is one of the coolest cities in Europe—but not so cool as to be pretentious the state capital of North Rhine–Westphalia may suffer by comparison to Köln's remarkable skyline but the elegant city has more than enough charm—and money—to.. "Germany's biggest small town" and "the city where work is a pleasure.".. Sitting in baroque splendor on a wide sweep of the Elbe River Dresden has been the capital of Saxony since the 15th century Bonn was the postwar seat of the federal government and parliament until Berlin became its capital again in 1999 the Trier of today holds a wealth of ancient sites It's also an important university town Few visitors to Bavaria venture this far off the well-trodden tourist trails and even Germans are surprised when they discover medieval Regensburg Perhaps best known as Europe's most fashionable spa town original 19th-century French-influenced architecture The university town of Konstanz is the largest on the Bodensee; it straddles the Rhine as it flows out of the lake Mainz is the capital of the state of Rheinland-Pfalz It's a lively university town with friendly locals renowned for their community spirit By far the best way to get to know this charming old island town is on foot Lose yourself in the maze of small streets.. the "red castle on the Tauber") is the kind of medieval town that even Walt Disney might have thought too picturesque to be.. Sitting prettily in the geographical center of Thuringia Weimar occupies a place in German political and cultural history completely disproportionate to its size (population 63,000).. the characteristic three-window-wide facades give way to buildings dating from the days when Charlemagne made Aix-la-Chapelle (as it was then.. Augsburg has long played a central role due to both its location and its religious history Sitting majestically on seven hills above the Regnitz River historic town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site With a recorded history stretching back to 1050 Franconia's main city is among the most historic in all of Germany; the core of the Old.. More commonly known by American travelers as Garmisch Garmisch-Partenkirchen is comprised of two separate communities that were fused together in 1936 to accommodate the Winter.. is a small city of tree-lined avenues with elegant shops and handsome facades The ancient city of Koblenz is at a geographic nexus known as the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) in the heart of the Mittelrhein region The city of Erfurt emerged from World War II relatively unscathed with most of its innumerable towers intact shows what happens when great genius teams up with great wealth Rügen's diverse and breathtaking landscapes have inspired poets and painters for more than a century Railways in the mid-19th century brought the first vacationers from.. was a chief stronghold of the Hanseatic merchant princes Flanking the borders of Austria and the Czech Republic and better known internationally as a trade-fair center than a tourist destination the Lower Saxon capital holds an attractive.. narrow island (38 km [24 miles] by as little as 220 yards) of unspoiled beaches and marshland off the.. In addition to having a great Romanesque cathedral as well as one of the most storied cities.. Neustadt and its nine wine suburbs are at the midpoint of the Wine Road and the edge of the district known as Deutsche Weinstrasse–Mittelhaardt Tucked away in the country's easternmost corner (bordering Poland) narrow cobblestone alleys and exquisite architecture make it one of Germany's most beautiful cities.. Meersburg is one of the most romantic old towns on the German shore of the lake Seen from the water on a summer afternoon with.. Protestantism was born in the little town of Wittenberg (officially called Lutherstadt-Wittenberg) In 1508 the fervently idealistic young Martin Luther Bernkastel is home to famed Bernkasteler Doctor The biggest port and shipbuilding center of the former East Germany Nestled among the Bavarian Mountains on a meandering confluence between the Danube and Altmühl Rivers Kelheim is widely appreciated for its prolific natural beauty and.. pronounced "bye-roit," owes its fame to the music giant Richard Wagner (1813–83) Torgau is among Germany's most beautiful Renaissance towns with more than 500 sterling examples of Renaissance and late-Gothic architecture This romantic city with its imposing castle looming over the Elbe River is known the world over for Europe’s finest porcelain Duke Berthold III founded Freiburg im Breisgau in the 12th century as a free trading city Berchtesgaden is a gorgeous mountain town right on the border with Austria From its location in a 2,300-foot-high valley you can see Germany's second-highest mountain.. Speyer is a picturesque and easily walkable town filled with interesting sights and a wonderful Christmas market in the winter This jewel of the Baltic has retained its historic city center and parts of its 13th-century defensive wall and hilltop setting overlooking the Neckar Tübingen provides the quintessential German experience This Bodensee resort has an attractive waterfront and an almost Mediterranean feel It's midway along the north shore of the Überlingersee This pretty spa town is nestled into the hills at the edge of the Palatinate Forest and ringed by vineyards Once a powerful trading and ecclesiastical city 1,000-year-old Naumburg is the cultural center of the Salle-Unstrut Although the city is most famous for its Romanesque/Gothic.. in an Alpine valley beneath a sentinel-like peak This medieval Harz town has more half-timber houses than any other town in Germany: more than 1,600 of them line the narrow cobblestone streets and.. Many regard Mittenwald as the most beautiful town in the Bavarian Alps It has somehow avoided the architectural sins found in other Alpine villages by.. Friedrichshafen is a relatively young town (dating to 1811) The beautiful shores of the Tegernsee are among the most expensive property in all of Germany The interest in the region shown by King Maximilian.. Magdeburg rose from the ashes of WWII to become a vibrant modern city rife with culture and heritage The cathedral city of Fulda is worth a brief detour off the Fairy-Tale Road There are two distinct parts to its downtown area The old city of Wismar was one of the original three sea-trading towns When you stand in Eisenach's ancient market square it's difficult to imagine this half-timber town as an important center of the East German automobile industry.. Enjoying a striking natural setting between the Elbe River and lush wooded hills and cliffs the lovely spa town of Bad Schandau is the oldest.. Boppard is a pleasant little resort that evolved from a Celtic settlement into a Roman fortress Bad Reichenhall is remarkably well located and near Salzburg in Austria for a lively cultural scene The immaculately preserved half-timber houses and historical facades lining its narrow streets fit perfectly with Deidesheim's reputation as one of the most renowned wine towns.. Situated among rolling vineyards between the Rhine River and the Black Forest the river port town of Breisach shares a wine- and food-loving culture with.. Coburg is a surprisingly little-known treasure that was founded in the 11th century and remained in the possession of the dukes of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha until 1918;.. Usedom Island has almost 32 km (20 miles) of sandy shoreline and a string of resorts Much of the island's untouched landscape is a nature.. is a quaint seaside resort town with the best hotels and restaurants in the area is also Germany's oldest and second-largest port (only Hamburg is larger) Bingen overlooks the Nahe-Rhine conflux near a treacherous stretch of shallows and rapids known as the Binger Loch (Bingen Hole) The ancient town of Remagen still bears traces of its Roman and medieval past but in modern times the town's fame stems from its role.. Bautzen has perched high above a deep granite valley formed by the River Spree for more than 1,000 years this gem of a medieval town dates back 1300 years and boasts the most picturesque and dramatically positioned castle.. Eltville rose to prominence in the Middle Ages as the residence of the archbishops of Mainz The Free Imperial City of Ravensburg once competed with Augsburg and Nürnberg for economic supremacy in southern Germany nestled on the borders of France and Switzerland is the Kaiserstuhl (Emperor’s Chair) region The evangelical church is unusually ornate and.. the second-largest town in the region after Rostock and the capital of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern A walled town left untouched by World War II bombs Füssen's red roofs and turrets stand in picturesque contrast to the turquoise waters of the.. is known throughout Europe for the annual Kieler Woche a regatta that attracts hundreds of boats from around the.. Schleswig-Holstein's oldest city is also one of its best-preserved examples of a typical north German town Once the seat of the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein The mountain resort of Baiersbronn—actually comprised of nine separate villages all named after the valleys they inhabit—has become a high-end destination thanks to an incredible.. In Nördlingen a medieval watchman's cry still rings out every night across the ancient walls and turrets These two famous castles belonging to the Wittelbachs are 1 km (½ mile) across a valley from each other Cochem is one of the most attractive towns of the Mosel Valley with a riverside promenade to rival any along the Rhine At the confluence of the Neckar and Jagst rivers Bad Wimpfen is one of the most stunning towns of the Neckar Valley Oestrich's vineyard area is the largest in the Rheingau Lenchen and Doosberg are the most important vineyards Chiemsee is north of the Deutsche Alpenstrasse if only to visit King Ludwig's huge palace on one of its idyllic.. Stepping off the train in the sleepy town of Freyburg it is not difficult to see why locals call the area "the Tuscany of the.. and also worked there as librarians at the court of the king of Westphalia.. whose name may derive from the Latin Bacchi ara (altar of Bacchus) The little town of Steinau—full name Steinau an der Strasse (Steinau "on the road," referring to an old trade route between Frankfurt and Leipzig)—had a.. The village of Ettal is presided over by the massive bulk of Kloster Ettal a great monastery and centuries-old distillery.. where the Weser empties into the North Sea "I think there are more steps in the streets than in the houses." That is how Jacob Grimm described the half-timber hillside town of Marburg.. sprang up with the discovery of iodine-laden springs which allowed the locals to call their town.. Popular with holidaymakers in mobile homes and trailers who park up on the banks of the Weser directly across from its historic center This is one of the most charming wine villages in the Pfalz Narrow cobblestone streets are lined by historic half-timber houses that are now home.. Freudenstadt claims to be the "better climate" in Germany and it has the sunny days to prove it founded at the beginning of the 18th century but what it lacks in years it makes up for in industrial.. where the Brothers Grimm served as professors and librarians between 1830 and 1837 the fetching town of Göttingen buzzes with.. one of the Black Forest's prettiest towns is the birthplace of Nobel Prize–winning novelist Hermann Hesse (1877–1962) Gleiszellen's Winzergasse (Vintners' Lane) is a little vine-canopied street lined with a beautiful ensemble of half-timber houses Try a glass of the town's specialty: spicy.. are named after a Celtic missionary who settled here in the 6th century Sixteen of the original 21 towers and much of the town wall still stand in the shadow of Schönburg Castle.. Tourism and wine are the heart and soul of Rüdesheim With south-facing slopes reaching down to the riverbanks making it an ideal destination if you’re looking to avoid the hordes of tourists that often descend on.. The main attraction here is the Burg Hornberg castle high above the town but visitors will find the village itself to be a charming respite.. The charming Weser town of Bodenwerder is the home of the Lügenbaron (Lying Baron) von Münchhausen (1720–97) but just over the border in North Rhine-Westphalia The town's appeal lies in its Rathaus Perched elegantly on the side of a hill above the Kinzig River Gelnhausen’s picturesque Altstadt (Old Town) offers the first taste of the half-timber houses.. Mainau is a tiny island given over to the cultivation of rare plants and splashy displays of.. Given their relationship with one of the most famous fairy-tale characters of all time it’s unsurprising that Hameln’s townsfolk continue to take advantage of the.. the town where the Brothers Grimm were born Although Grimm fans will want to start their pilgrimage here One of the Mosel's oldest towns (the Celts were here by 450 BC) today Alken is best known for its 12th-century castle For a cultural break from all that wine tasting the former summer residence of King Ludwig I The hamlet of Alpirsbach was founded in 1035 and developed around the Benedictine monastery Kloster Alpirsbach Although the Reformation forced the abbey to close its.. quaint town that's home to the largest wine-growing community on the Rhine is another photogenic wine village with well-preserved houses and remnants of a medieval town wall It's particularly romantic at night.. is the most scenic lake in the Black Forest The town of Husum is the epitome of northern German lifestyle and culture Immortalized in a poem as the "gray city upon the sea" by.. which has pleasant promenades on both sides of the river Its wine festivals are held the second and last weekends in.. Bad Doberan is a quaint town that also has Germany's oldest sea resort The name "Dessau" is known to students of modern architecture as the epicenter of architect Walter Gropius’s highly influential Bauhaus school of design Coming from the hustle and bustle of Heidelberg you'll find the hamlet of Neckargemünd is a quiet place where you can relax by the Neckar.. Weingarten is famous throughout Germany for its huge and hugely impressive basilica which you can see up on a hill from miles away on the Rhine almost halfway from Freiburg to Strasbourg has a castle dating from 1577 and painstakingly restored half-timber houses Home to one of Germany's most popular castles Königswinter is also the gateway to the 30 large and small hills that make up the.. Winningen is a gateway to the Terrassenmosel (Terraced Mosel) the portion of the river characterized by steep The town closest to the famous Loreley rock Goarshausen even calls itself Die Loreleystadt (Loreley City) and it's a popular destination for Rhineland.. Bad Mergentheim was the home of the Teutonic Knights one of the most successful medieval orders of chivalry a valley famous for the traditional costumes Between Stuttgart and Tübingen lies this small hamlet consisting of a few houses Once you've braved Hell Valley to get to Freiburg Faustus is reputed to have made his pact.. The only one of King Ludwig's three castles to have reached completion before his death this gilded hunting lodge lies secluded in the.. Although its residents would never call it a suburb of Stuttgart its proximity to the modern industrial and commercial center of Baden-Wurttenberg has made it.. The landmark of this little spa town is the baroque Schloss (palace) of the dukes of Zweibrücken The Gasthaus Zum Engel (Königstrasse 45) is an.. with quiet tree-lined streets and a handful of cafés.. A visit to the site of the infamous prisoner of war and concentration camp where Anne Frank You'll have to travel a long way through Germany to find a grouping of half-timber houses as harmonious as those in this delightful town Touring the Romantic Road brings you through bustling tourist towns quieter villages along the way are what will probably be most worth the.. The first impression produced by an ever-under-construction train station and dismal tram ride into town is pleasantly swept away.. A quarter of Kulmbachers earn their living directly or indirectly from the beer that's brewed in the town More than 22 different beers are produced.. If the heat of the Mosel's slate slopes becomes oppressive in summer you can revitalize body and soul with a scenic drive through the cool.. The southernmost wine village of the Pfalz lies on the French border local vintners established a route through the vineyards.. Goslar is one of Germany's oldest cities and is known for the medieval glamour expressed in the.. Kronach is a charming little gateway to the natural splendor of the Frankenwald region.. This wine village is the birthplace of the writer Carl Zuckmayer (1896–1977) who immortalized the town in his farce Der fröhliche Weinberg (The Merry Vineyard).. Hirsch (stag) and Horn (antlers) make up the name of the knights of Hirschhorn the medieval ruling family that gave its name to both its.. Although Pforzheim is not exactly the attractive place the Romans found at the junction of three rivers—the Nagold In the center of Brühl stands the Rhineland's most important baroque palace Brühl is also home to one of Germany's most popular theme.. Trip Ideas History Bites Travel Tips Itinerary Arts & Culture Art & Design Imagine members of the MADC or Masquerade Theatre writhing around on stage Imagine afternoon matinées of horrific sadism The birthplace of the Brothers Grimm in Steinau an der Strasse Imagine – if you don’t already – Christopher Biggins being made to dance to his death on stage Or some ghastly soap star being put in a nail-studded barrel and rolled across stage C-list reality TV non-entity and Strictly Come Dancing contestant having their eyes gouged out for your entertainment This is all just so everyone can live happily ever after That’s what really should happen in pantomimes Traditional pantos should carry PG classifications if they were true to their gruesome Germanic and Grimms’ Fairy Tales (Kinder und Hausmarchen ) was first published in 1812 collected their Children’s and Household Tales to preserve and define German cultural identity at a time when their country was under the suppression of Napoleon The Brothers Grimm collected over 200 stories.   Originally containing violence and sex scenes.  In the original story Rapunzel had very close relations with the prince was stripped naked by the dwarves and given a bath Her stepmother had her feet set on fire and the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella who cut off their toes and heels so they could get into the slipper When the stories were sanitised for children as “a manual for good manners” You learn all this in a former air raid shelter and beer cellar over a Celtic burial ground Kassel’s Grimm Welt museum is dedicated to Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm who spent 30 years there working as librarians as well personal belongings such as the siblings’ favourite reading glasses what was allegedly their favourite sofa and what was supposedly their favourite pair of scissors symbol of Hamelin as per the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin Grimmwelt  also commemorates the talents of Ludwig Emil Grimm who illustrated is brothers’  fairy tales and who was a gifted cartoonist The museum displays his two-metre long comic script stories one of which about a runaway pig.  It can be considered as a sort of 19 th-century version of Babe Germany’s Fairy Tale Road connects 70 villages over 400 miles through the Hessen and Lower Saxony regions En route is the half-timbered burger place Bruder Grimm Haus in Steinau They are reportedly insured for €30 million Sons of a clergyman who became a local magistrate Jacob and Wilhelm’s birthplace in Hanau (bizarrely twinned with Dartford in Kent) was destroyed in the World War II On its site there is a statue of the two brothers looking very scholarly; nope including a German dictionary and the seminal work on German grammar They were the founders of German linguistics The Grimms blended oral with literary traditions.  They stole stories from washerwomen and bought them from workmen One of their biggest inspirations was publican’s daughter Dorothea Viehmann (born in 1755 were obsessed with collecting stories to aid their folkloristic studies their famous tales did not become popular until the first English translation (titled German Popular Stories) appeared in 1823 The Disney cartoon version of Snow White was released in 1937 Rapunzel may have let her hair down in Steinau Castle or any of the many castles – Hohenburg Eisenbach – on the official  Fairy Tale Road map Hansel and Gretel may have walked in the Psessart woods or any other of the many dark woods boasted by the region A Hungarian may have been the original Cinderella (The Brothers Grimm named her Aschenputtel which translates to ‘digging in the ashes’ a 13th-century Hungarian princess who married King Ludwig IV of Thuringia,  gave all her money to the poor and ended up – or so the story goes – living in a pigsty The Pied Piper of Hameln story is not make-believe.  In 1284 born in Hameln were led out of town by a snazzily-dressed piper After passing the Calvary near the Koppenberg This is a historically true story – it may have been caused by the plague or a massacre of pagans Hameln now has its own official piper who greets tourists dressed in suitably period curly shoes a feathered cap and a plastic flute.  With its forests leaning gabled medieval buildings and roasted ham hocks hanging in butchers’ windows the region cannot help looking like a pantomime backdrop Alsfeld claims to be where the story of Little Red Riding Hood originated Girls in the Schwalm region still wear red caps along with  the ‘partner hotels’,  there  are ‘fairy tale events’,  open-air performances  and ‘opportunities to get to know enchanting fairy tale characters’ Every Sunday at three throughout the summer Rapunzel lets her hair down at Trendelburg Castle she has an understudy and a large wig wardrobe You can also arranged a private audience with Prince Charming The only elves to be seen are in Lauterbach which is the centre of the German gnome manufacturing industry the road does boast its own Sleeping Beauty castle “We do have hungry wolves,” said Gunther Koseck Gunther’s family owns the 1334 Sleeping Beauty castle in Sababurg.  Walt Disney’s castle was based on the one in Neuschwanstein in Bavaria “Sleeping Beauty may have been based on a true story of a noble girl with an evil step-mother who was befriended by a group of iron ore miners,” Gunther informed me “Her father was a mirror manufacturer The original talking mirror is on display in Lohr am Main.” He led me up a spooky spiral staircase up into another spooky turret into my €230-a-night tower overlooking the oldest animal park in the world please register for free or log in to your account.