Trendelburg, Germany: Fairy Tale Farm Country

Trendelburg, Germany is midway down die Märchenstrasse, also known as the fairy tale road. This route encompasses beautiful countryside where the Brothers Grimm heard the folktales that they compiled into their famous Kinder und Hausmärchen.


Getting There: There is only one way to get to Trendelburg, and that's by car. Although the tourist agencies have given the North-South route from Bremen to Frankfurt the attractive name of the Fairy Tale Road (Die Märchenstrasse), the designation has not sent tourists flocking the length of the route. You won't find tour buses or trains a feasible option. Trendelburg is on 83, north of where the A44 and A7 intersect. From Kassel, take 7/83 north.

What to do: First a word on what not to do. Straw hotels are very popular in Germany and Switzerland- and yes, that is a euphemism for barn loft. If you're not a turkey, don't be surprised if you don't like sleeping in straw. It's itchy, it's scratchy, it's pokey and, by the way, it's not hypoallergenic. Our kids universally deplored the experience. Especially the oldest who sneezed all night long. So if you go to Hofgut Stammen, Scholßstraße 29, Trendelburg, Tel. 49 0 5675 72 5094, decline the opportunity to sleep in the hay loft and ask for a bunk bed room instead. Hofgut Stammen is a friendly, family-run lodging and biergarten that is extremely popular with vacationing Germans. Usually people bring their own linens, but the proprietors were happy to provide them for us when we explained our situation (wie commen from America wit no room in zee duffels and rücksacks für zee bedding.). It's a great place to meet German families and have fun. It sits on the bank of the river Diemel and kids love jumping off the dock into the river and swimming. Canoe and kayak rental can be arranged on site, and archery is available there, too.