The Pied Piper’s Town

By Linda Tancs

Boasting magnificent Renaissance architecture of the Weserberg region, Hameln (Hamelin), Germany, is home to the legendary Pied Piper. As the story goes, in 1284 a man in multicolored (pied) dress promised to lure the rats out of Hameln but instead lured its children away. The folk tale is omnipresent throughout the city, from the open-air play (May through September) retelling the story to the mechanical Pied Piper Theatre in the Hameln Museum and the Pied Piper’s House (Rattenfängerhaus) right in the town center. You can even book the Pied Piper himself at the tourist office for a group welcome greeting or guided city tour.