Stories have been around as long as there have been people to tell them. Before books, stories were shared and passed on by telling. Folk stories and folktales often included lessons on life, for example, the dangers of going into the forest or the value of working hard. These stories may also have been used to explain natural events, for example, birds that only appeared in the summer; stories of the first snow, or the first sign of spring. Folk stories and folktales often include fantastic details.

The Fairy-Tale Road begins in Hanau (near Frankfurt), where Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born. The road is more than 600 km long and finishes in the north of Germany, in Bremen. Along the way, the Fairy-Tale Road passes through many forests (or woods) and towns. It was throughout this region that the Brothers Grimm collected many of their stories. There are castles that could have been home to Sleeping Beauty and forests with paths that may have led to Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s house.  Travellers on the Fairy-Tale Road can visit Bremen and Hamelin, where the Pied Piper piped.