Following in the Footsteps of the Brothers Grimm: Marburg

Marburg is home to Philipps University, the 9^th oldest university in Germany and the one where the Grimm Brothers studied in the early 1800s.

But the purpose of my trip to Marburg was not to wander the hallowed halls of higher education for glimpses of the Grimms. My purpose was much more playful.

Marburg has what none of the other cities I’ve visited so far have—a fairy-tale trail within the town!

The Grimm-Dich-Pfad (Grimm-You-Path) takes you on a trip from the edge of New Town Marburg up into the Old Town of Marburg, highlighting 16 locations of art installations associated with Grimm fairy tales.

An Old Town street with a gentler slope

(And when I say “up” into Old Town, I mean it. That part of the city sits high on a hill, and it’s multilevel. There are actually two elevators to take visitors from the street in New Town up to the base level of Old Town! Sadly, I did not find the elevators until after I climbed back down from Old Town.)

The Frog King

The Pfad is reported to take two hours, which I thought strange considering how close the points appeared to be on the map. 

But it is a bit of a scavenger hunt. You have to not only be on the lookout for the artwork, but you have to navigate uneven, narrow, steep streets and lots of stairs while doing it.

Two-for-one: stairs with an excerpt from
one of Jacob Grimm's letters,
and Cinderella's slipper waiting up  at the top.

The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats

The Valiant Little Tailor

Having fun with the mirror
from Snow White and
the Seven Dwarves

Snow White and Rose Red

It was one of my most enjoyable day trips to date, and definitely comes up the winner so far for fairy-tale fun with the Grimm Brothers!