There is a famous wooden plaque on the "Drumless Street" in the German city of Hameln. It still bears an inscription: "On John and Paul's Day, June 26, 1284, 130 children from Hameln were taken away by pipers dressed in colorful garments and were never seen again. ......". There is also a street in Hameln called "Silent Street", which is said to be the last street the children walked, and it has long been a custom on this street not to make any music in honor of the missing children. It is said that even wedding bands welcoming couples to the street consciously stop playing music.
There is a famous story in Grimm's Fairy Tales: In 1284, the town of Hameln, Germany, was infested with rats, and the mayor of the town was at his wits' end. One day, a mysterious pied piper of unknown origin wearing colorful robes came to the town, claiming that he could expel the rats if he was given an honorarium. The mayor and the residents gladly agreed. The pied piper took out his flute and played, and the rats were so mesmerized that they followed the pied piper to the River Wither and jumped into the river in a race to be the first to do so, only to drown. The piper returned to the town to collect his fee, but the townspeople refused to pay, and the piper left in silence. On June 26th of the next year, he appeared again, and this time he played the magic flute again. This time he played the magic flute again. The sound of the flute attracted the children of the town, and 130 of them sang and danced and followed the Piper to the nearby Koppelberg Mountain. There was a huge cave on the mountain, like an open mouth, which swallowed all the children, and they were never seen again.
Usually such legends are not taken seriously, but the museum in the German city of Hameln is filled with artifacts related to the city's strange legend.
The Star-Ledger describes it this way:
The City of the Color-Coated Piper
Happy Sunday
2009-09-12 15:13
Hameln is a small town, but some 10 million tourists flock to the city every year to see it, and it's not just because of the brightly lit Weser River or the characterful buildings. It's not just for the bright Weser River or the characterful buildings, but also for the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale The Pied Piper of Hameln. This fairy tale is slightly grimmer and won't be a favorite listen for adults or children.
The story goes that in 1284, the town was plagued by a rat infestation, and the townspeople were all screaming for help. One day a colorful pied piper came to town, and he declared to the mayor that he could solve the rat problem, but he wanted 100 gold coins as payment. In the early morning of the last day of the agreement, the piper played his flute, and something magical happened! All the rats in the town came out and followed the Piper into the Weser River, where they all drowned. However, the Mayor and the townspeople backed out of the deal and were only willing to pay the Piper one gold coin. The angry Piper left the town, threatening to make the townspeople pay a terrible price. While the townspeople were attending church, the colorful Piper quietly returned to the town to play his flute, when 130 children involuntarily followed the Piper and were never heard from again. The two remaining children who did not disappear were blind and mute, so there was no way to tell the adults what had happened.
Although it is a fairy tale, there was indeed a real-life incident in which a profession such as a rat catcher and a child disappeared, but it is not certain that the two are related. When you come to Harman, you can still feel the ubiquitous effect of the legend. From the Deisteralle intersection into Osterstrasse, you can see a white mouse with a long tail on the ground, and following these marks, you can find buildings related to the Piper's fairy tale, such as the Rattenfangerhaus restaurant (Rattenfangerhaus), the Wedding House (Hochzeitshaus), and the fountain statue of the Rattenfisher in front of the town hall, all of which are must-see places for tourists. are a must for tourists.
Every year, from May to September, on Sundays at 12:00, you can see a free colorful flute player's musical prepared by local townspeople for about 30 minutes in front of the 'Wedding House'. I happened to be there just before the Saturday in September and missed it, but luckily waited until the Mousetrap Bells performance. It's only 5 minutes long, but tourists can't stop watching!
Where is this place
Harmen is a small town on the Weser River in northwestern Germany. The average population is sixty thousand.
How to get there
After arriving in Hannover by plane, you can take the local train (DB BAHN) to Harmen, which takes about an hour and costs about 11 euros.
Climate
Hammam has four seasons, with long, hot summers and long, freezing winters, so it is recommended to visit in spring or fall.
Language
The main language is German, with a few locals speaking simple English.
The disappearance of the pied piper and the child seems to be real, and there are two doctoral dissertations on the subject:
◆ Hameln
In 1284, the town was plagued by rats because of the flour production and the dirty environment, which led to the creation of a profession called "rat hunters. In the midst of the townspeople's distress, a man named Bundtig, dressed in colorful clothes and holding a flute, came from out of town and told the mayor that he could help solve the rat problem, but he wanted 100 gold coins as a reward. On the last day of the agreement, the colorful flute player played his flute in the early morning, and all the rats magically came out and followed him. He then led the rats to the Weser River outside the town, and all the rats drowned in the river. The mayor and the townspeople of Westholme were backtracking on their promise to give him only one gold coin, and they laughed at him for wanting so much money for just playing his flute.
The Piper in Color left Haman in anger, threatening to make the townspeople pay! On Sunday, June 26th, while the adults in the town were attending church, the Piper in Color crept back into the town, played his flute, and took all 130 children away with him, never to be heard from again. The two remaining children who were not missing were blind and mute, so there was no way to tell the adults what had happened. At that time, there were only 1,500 people in the city, so one-fifth of the population going missing was a very serious matter. To this day, no music is allowed in the alley where the Piper took the child. The story of the "rat catcher" (also known as the colorful piper) and the "missing child" are both true, but whether or not they are related is not certain. Scholars around the world have various explanations for this story, such as becoming a child crusader, moving to the east, plague, drowning, etc. The only thing that has been proven is that everyone agrees that the story is true. But the only thing that has been confirmed is that all of them never returned. In response to this problem, there are two doctoral theses in Germany devoted to the possible causes of missing children, enough said! I can't believe them!
Both the Brothers Grimm and the poet Goethe have told this legend in their works. You can still feel the legend everywhere you go in Harman. Enter Oster Street from the Deisteralle intersection, and follow the prints of a white mouse with a long tail, and you'll find buildings that are related to the Piper's tale! The Piper's House Restaurant, the Wedding House, the statue of the Piper's Fountain in front of the Town Hall and the museum are all famous sights, and on Wednesdays you can see a re-enactment of the musical "Legend of the Peied Piper of Hameln". The story is as powerful today as it was when the flute was playing, and attracts tourists from all over the world, young and old, to follow their local guides in what is a modern-day version of the Mouser's Funny Sight.
The beautiful half-timbered houses in the town's old town, with the walls of the 2nd and 3rd floors protruding forward layer by layer, were designed to maximize the use of the upstairs rooms because the house tax was calculated on the basis of the house's floor space in the past. Harman house has a lot of romantic style convex window, which is influenced by the Dutch architecture, the Dempterhaus on the market square, the Ratcatcher's House and the Leazes Hall are representatives of this type.
1, Rattenfangerhaus and Bungelosen str. Bungelosen street
It is said that the Grimm brothers sat in front of the window of the restaurant, listening to the residents to tell stories, while enjoying the signature dish, "rat tail". Today, the dish is made from chopped pig's tail. Bungelosen str., the alleyway next to the Ratcatcher's House restaurant, is said to be the place where children disappeared, and inscriptions of missing children are still carved on the walls. The tradition of banning dancing and frolicking in this street is still maintained today. The street is lined with rats and rat-trapper memorabilia. The unique Rat Trapper Museum and the Rat Market add to the flavor of Harman as a "rat city".