Latest news with #Grimms
The Irish Sun
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I visited the European city where ‘fairytales began' with beautiful mountain parks and cheap Ryanair flights
WE all know our Disney fairytales and their happily ever afters, right? Well, the original versions of favourites such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood and Rumpelstiltskin were a lot darker, as I found out on my visit to Hanau, Germany, the birthplace of Advertisement 5 The magical medieval castle in Kassel Credit: Getty 5 A nod to Cinderella at Marburg Castle Credit: Alamy 5 The Grimms path in Marburg Credit: Alamy The city marks the start of Along the way you can explore quaint towns, medieval castles and ancient forests — and imagine you, too, are in the middle of a fairytale. The main focus for my adventure was the life of the Grimm Brothers, credited with devising the opening line 'Once upon a time' and the concluding 'lived happily ever after'. In Hanau, I learned that in their early years, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm scoured the surrounding countryside for authentic folk tales that had been handed down over generations. Advertisement Read More on Travel Then, in 1812, they decided to publish a compilation of all they had heard on their travels, including Cinderella and Rapunzel. But the violence in some of the stories meant that the book was not particularly well received, so the brothers had to rely on their creative skills to tone down the explicit elements. And with that, the modern day fairytale was born. But it's not this collection of stories I'm here to uncover on my four-day trip, it's the story behind the Brothers Grimm themselves. Advertisement Most read in City breaks Strolling through the main square of Hanau, I could not miss the huge statue of the pair which commemorates the fact they were born here. This city is understandably proud and has erected a trail of artworks depicting various characters from their stories, including King Thrushbeard, Snow White and Martin Lewis warns about strict passport rule that could see you board your flight - only to get sent home on arrival About 30 minutes from here by car sits my favourite stop on the trail, Steinau an der Strasse. With higgledy-piggledy houses surrounded by lush trees, I immediately fell in love with the beautiful little village, which is as chocolate box as something from a fairytale. Advertisement And it turns out the brothers loved it, too. This is the place where they are said to have spent the happiest part of their childhood. And you can get a sense for that in their former home. Now open to the public, the house-turned-museum hosts interesting exhibits about their work, as well as the works of their younger brother, Ludwig Emil, a talented artist who created the illustrations in the brothers' book. Advertisement Cascading water Their grandfather had been the priest in the local church in the marketplace for 47 years and their father was born here. After a brief stint in Hanau, he returned to the village in the early years of his marriage to become a magistrate. While here, check out Die Holzkoeppe, a theatre that puts on regular puppet shows. And for a flavour of traditional Germany, head to Cafe Restaurant Rosengarten, which serves classic schnitzels in various forms, including a Advertisement The following day, my journey continued a little over an hour north to the hilly and historic market town of Marburg, where the Brothers studied. It is a charming destination full of beautiful half-timbered houses. 5 Unicorns on the Grimms Path Credit: Alamy 5 Jane Keightley reading by a statue Credit: Supplied Advertisement The brothers have certainly left their mark on the town, with visitors now able to follow the 'Grimms Path', which takes you on a mile-long fairytale-themed walk through the old town. The final stop on my fairytale adventure took me even further north to Kassel, where the Brothers eventually became librarians so that they could support their family while they searched for fairytales. Today, the city is home to the largest museum dedicated entirely to the Grimms. Called Grimmwelt, it has a trail of original exhibits as well as state-of-the-art installations and hands-on activities. Advertisement The city is also a great place for ramblers as it is home to a With gorgeous green and woodland landscapes like this around, I can see how the brothers found the inspiration to adapt their fairytale stories. And, certainly, no Disney princess would look out of place here. GO: GERMAN FAIRYTALE GETTING THERE: Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Frankfurt Hahn from £36 return. See STAYING THERE: Double rooms at the Plaza Hotel in Hanau cost from €75, without breakfast. See Double rooms at the Best Western Hotel Kurfuerst Wilhelm I in Kassel cost from €92, without breakfast. See
Scottish Sun
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I visited the European city where ‘fairytales began' with beautiful mountain parks and cheap Ryanair flights
The city marks the start of the German Fairytale Route, stretching 600km through the country to the maritime city of Bremen FAIRYTALE ROUTE I visited the European city where 'fairytales began' with beautiful mountain parks and cheap Ryanair flights Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WE all know our Disney fairytales and their happily ever afters, right? Well, the original versions of favourites such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood and Rumpelstiltskin were a lot darker, as I found out on my visit to Hanau, Germany, the birthplace of the Brothers Grimm. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 The magical medieval castle in Kassel Credit: Getty 5 A nod to Cinderella at Marburg Castle Credit: Alamy 5 The Grimms path in Marburg Credit: Alamy The city marks the start of the German Fairytale Route, stretching 372 miles through the country to the maritime city of Bremen. Along the way you can explore quaint towns, medieval castles and ancient forests — and imagine you, too, are in the middle of a fairytale. The main focus for my adventure was the life of the Grimm Brothers, credited with devising the opening line 'Once upon a time' and the concluding 'lived happily ever after'. In Hanau, I learned that in their early years, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm scoured the surrounding countryside for authentic folk tales that had been handed down over generations. Then, in 1812, they decided to publish a compilation of all they had heard on their travels, including Cinderella and Rapunzel. But the violence in some of the stories meant that the book was not particularly well received, so the brothers had to rely on their creative skills to tone down the explicit elements. And with that, the modern day fairytale was born. But it's not this collection of stories I'm here to uncover on my four-day trip, it's the story behind the Brothers Grimm themselves. Strolling through the main square of Hanau, I could not miss the huge statue of the pair which commemorates the fact they were born here. This city is understandably proud and has erected a trail of artworks depicting various characters from their stories, including King Thrushbeard, Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. Martin Lewis warns about strict passport rule that could see you board your flight - only to get sent home on arrival About 30 minutes from here by car sits my favourite stop on the trail, Steinau an der Strasse. With higgledy-piggledy houses surrounded by lush trees, I immediately fell in love with the beautiful little village, which is as chocolate box as something from a fairytale. And it turns out the brothers loved it, too. This is the place where they are said to have spent the happiest part of their childhood. And you can get a sense for that in their former home. Now open to the public, the house-turned-museum hosts interesting exhibits about their work, as well as the works of their younger brother, Ludwig Emil, a talented artist who created the illustrations in the brothers' book. Cascading water Their grandfather had been the priest in the local church in the marketplace for 47 years and their father was born here. After a brief stint in Hanau, he returned to the village in the early years of his marriage to become a magistrate. While here, check out Die Holzkoeppe, a theatre that puts on regular puppet shows. And for a flavour of traditional Germany, head to Cafe Restaurant Rosengarten, which serves classic schnitzels in various forms, including a Little Red Riding Hood version that comes topped with tomatoes and mozzarella. The following day, my journey continued a little over an hour north to the hilly and historic market town of Marburg, where the Brothers studied. It is a charming destination full of beautiful half-timbered houses. 5 Unicorns on the Grimms Path Credit: Alamy 5 Jane Keightley reading by a statue Credit: Supplied The brothers have certainly left their mark on the town, with visitors now able to follow the 'Grimms Path', which takes you on a mile-long fairytale-themed walk through the old town. The final stop on my fairytale adventure took me even further north to Kassel, where the Brothers eventually became librarians so that they could support their family while they searched for fairytales. Today, the city is home to the largest museum dedicated entirely to the Grimms. Called Grimmwelt, it has a trail of original exhibits as well as state-of-the-art installations and hands-on activities. The city is also a great place for ramblers as it is home to a Unesco World Heritage park and Europe's largest mountain park, filled with cascading water features. With gorgeous green and woodland landscapes like this around, I can see how the brothers found the inspiration to adapt their fairytale stories. And, certainly, no Disney princess would look out of place here.
Al Arabiya
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Arabiya
‘Hansel and Gretel' is reimagined by Stephen King and Maurice Sendak
An upcoming edition of 'Hansel and Gretel' combines the dark and singular talents of two literary giants who apparently never met: Stephen King and the late Maurice Sendak. HarperCollins Publishers announced Thursday that the King–Sendak reimagining of the famed Brothers Grimm tale about two lost children in a frightening forest is scheduled for Sept. 2. King's words will be complemented by sketches Sendak drew up for set and costume designs for a 1997 production of the Humperdinck opera adaptation. The book was initiated by the Maurice Sendak Foundation. King, author of 'The Shining,' 'Carrie,' and other horror classics, said he decided to agree to the project after seeing Sendak's illustrations. 'Two of his pictures in particular spoke to me: One was of the wicked witch on her broom with a bag of kidnapped children riding behind her; the other was of the infamous candy house becoming a terrible face. I thought, 'This is what the house really looks like – a devil sick with sin – and it only shows that face when the kids turn their backs.' I wanted to write that!' King said in a statement issued through HarperCollins. 'To me it was the essence of this story, and really all fairy tales: a sunny exterior, a dark and terrible center, brave and resourceful children. In a way, I have been writing about kids like Hansel and Gretel for much of my life.' Representatives for King say he has no memory of meeting Sendak, although King has expressed admiration for the musical 'Really Rosie,' a Sendak–Carole King collaboration. Lynn Caponera, the Sendak Foundation's executive director, said in a statement that she thought King ideal because 'outside of the Grimms, he's the master of scary stories and a wonderful writer to boot.' Sendak, who died in 2012, spoke about 'Hansel and Gretel' around the time he was working on the opera. In an interview published in the 2003 book 'The Art of Maurice Sendak,' he called the fairy tale the most profound of the Grimm canon. 'Generally speaking, most of Grimm is about heroic children. Hansel and Gretel are the most heroic of them all,' said Sendak, known for 'Where the Wild Things Are,' 'In the Night Kitchen,' and other children's favorites. 'It's the toughest story in the world, and people are afraid of it, yet it's famous because it's so truthful.'
