Hameln

La città del "Pifferaio Magico" :)

Francesco Arca (@Francesco)

Published in

FrancescoNotes

· 2 Sep 2022

Hameln is a small city (about 60.000 inhabitants) in Germany in the Land of Lower Saxony.

It is the capital and the largest center of the Hameln-Pyrmont district and boasts the title of "Large independent city" (Große selbständige Stadt).

Hameln is famous for being the center of the "Weser Renaissance", the artistic movement of the 16^th and 17^th centuries. Its architecture, in particular public buildings and noble residences, is visibly influenced and based on the Italian style of the time, in contrast to the medieval architecture of the half-timbered houses.

These are some photos I took in the historic center

In the city center there is the Church of St. Nicolai.

Unfortunately also this building, originally built in the 12^th century, was bombed (and destroyed) during the Second World War.

The Church of St. Nicolai in Hameln

This old photo shows what the inside of the church looked like before the bombing

now the church looks like this

again, an old picture

and now ...

It is a pity! it has lost much of its charm.

However, it is possible to visit the bell tower.

By climbing an endless wooden staircase

it is possible to reach the top of the bell tower, from which admire a splendid view over the entire city.

The city of Hameln is perhaps best known to be the city of the Pied Piper. The famous fairy tale from the Grimm Brothers, that we all known, is probably based on a true event that took place in this city in 1284.

According to an ancient legend, in 1284 a piper freed the city of Hameln from the invasion of mice simply by playing a sweet melody. The inhabitants of the city, however, taking advantage of his naivety decided not to give him any reward by breaking the previously established agreements. The piper, without fussing in the slightest, sang a new melody with his flute, but this time to follow him, as if enchanted, were not the mice but 130 children of the village, who following him disappeared to the east to never return. What exactly happened that day in Hameln and what happened to the children remains a mystery to this day.

Following the tiles with the mouse