On the trail of Red Riding Hood in Germany’s Grimm country

Joe Appleton follows in the footsteps of in the world’s most famous purveyors of fairy tales in central Germany

Schwalm-Eder Kreis’s traditional hats helped inspire Little Red Riding Hood (Schwalm-Eder Kreis)

When it comes to European breaks, Germany isn’t high on many tourists’ travel lists. It lacks the beaches of the Mediterranean or the majesty of the Swiss Alps. Aside from the usual culture trips to Berlin, beer festivals in Bavaria, or wild weekends in Hamburg, most of Germany is somewhat overlooked. But in the middle of the country there’s a region famed for magic, enchantment and fairy tales. We’re heading deep into Grimm country.

A quick 90-minute drive or train ride from Frankfurt will launch you straight into the heart of North Hesse. It’s an area of Germany that Jacob and Wilhelm, aka the Brothers Grimm, called home for many years, and where they penned their legendary Kinder-und Hausmarchen, more commonly known in English as Children’s and Household Tales.

Away from the autobahn, the view offers gentle hills and dense forests, small villages, and little else in between. The terrain is ripe for folklore, and as I try and follow the brothers’ footsteps, I can’t help but wonder what I’ll find. Our first stop is the largest city in North Hesse: Kassel.