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Everyone knows the Pied Piper legend, which is in fact
re-enacted in the town on Sunday mornings in the summer,
but the reality behind it is still a mystery. One
version maintains that the real Pied Piper was one of
the many recruiting agents used by wealthy mediaeval
noblemen in Eastern Europe to attract colonists to
settle in their relatively empty lands. Mediaeval
townspeople were often referred to as ‘children’ of the
town, and most historians seem to find this version the
most plausible. On the other hand, rat-catchers were
very useful men in the bad old days of primitive
plumbing and waste-disposal, so the legend may have a
real basis after all.
Who really knows? Perhaps the most important thing is
that most visitors to Hamelin today are going to be
astonished that such a beautiful town is largely known
only in legend. In fact, Hamelin (Hameln, in German) has
one of the most beautifully preserved town centres in
Germany, with a wealth of stone and timber-framed
buildings in the style known as “Weser Renaissance” and
typified by elaborately decorated coloured façades and
high gables. The town centre is largely pedestrianised
and can keep the discriminating visitor happy for hours.
The Weser Valley itself is one of the most attractive in
Northern Germany, and one of Hamelin’s comfortable
hotels would make an ideal base for exploring this
picturesque region of hills, oak forests and unspoilt
villages. |
