Hamelin Christmas Market

If this German town’s name sounds familiar, here’s a hint─think wind instruments. Hamelin is the town Pied Piper cleared first of mice and rats and then of children, and you can’t get much more fairy tale than actually being in a fairy tale. The Brother’s Grimm set a lot of their tales in this picturesque corner of the world, so a Christmas market here lends from those child friendly traditions and looks like it could be attended by Hansel and Gretel. Of course there’s a nativity scene─it is one of the world’s favourite stories─and in this case the four legged and feathered characters are played by their descendants and you can pet them afterwards in a mini petting zoo.
The other main attraction, apart from the usual warming selection of festive treats─stalls set up in the square and everything decked out in lights─is Hamelin’s architecture; some of it in traditional timber style and much of it graceful and historic. Hamelin was pretty wealthy round the time of Grimms and there was a lot of investment in the appearance of the town, which from photos definitely doesn’t seem wasted.