Where is Rapunzel’s tower?

At Trendelburg, in northern Hesse: the castle keep, with more than 130 steps, is called Rapunzel’s tower after the Brothers Grimm’s tale. The castle is now a hotel on the German Fairy Tale Route.

Where is Snow White’s castle?

None is documented. In Lohr am Main, the castle museum has argued since 1986 that Snow White was inspired by Maria Sophia von Erthal, born in Lohr in 1729, daughter of the castle’s administrator; it is a local theory.

Brothers Grimm castles: which ones are open all year?

None is listed as open all year in the opening periods we have collected. Check each page before you go.

The castles of the Brothers Grimm

10 châteaux listed

10 castles in Hesse, Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Westphalia linked to the Brothers Grimm and their tales, with admission prices and opening seasons.

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born in Hanau in 1785 and 1786, grew up in Steinau and gathered in Kassel the stories whose first volume they published in 1812, the Children’s and Household Tales. Since 1975 the German Fairy Tale Route has linked, over 600 kilometres from Hanau to Bremen, the places of their lives and those associated with their tales.

No tale names a castle: the links the places claim come from tradition. The keep at Trendelburg is called Rapunzel’s tower, the Sababurg is known as Sleeping Beauty’s castle, and in Lohr the castle museum has argued since 1986 that Snow White was the daughter of the castle’s administrator, born in Lohr in 1729.

For children, the trip runs tale by tale: climbing the 130 steps of Rapunzel’s tower, watching Cinderella performed in the courtyard at Polle, walking by the wildlife park next to the Sababurg, visiting the Grimm exhibition at Steinau. Sleeping Beauty has a page of its own, with Ussé and the French castles of the tale.

This page lists all 10, with the adult admission price where we know it, the opening season and a map.

The places, one by one

From the best known to the most discreet. Prices are for one adult; the season comes from the opening periods each place publishes.

Sababurg
Hofgeismar, Hessen
A hunting lodge of the landgraves of Hesse, left to decay after the 18th century; tradition sees it as the Grimms’ Sleeping Beauty castle. Under restoration, it can be seen from outside, next to the Sababurg wildlife park.
Season not published
Opening hours and access
Burg Trendelburg (Trendelburg Castle)
Trendelburg, Hessen
Its keep, called Rapunzel’s tower after the Grimms’ tale, has more than 130 steps; the castle is now a hotel on the Fairy Tale Route.
Season not published
Opening hours and access
Schloss Steinau (Steinau Castle)
Steinau an der Straße, Hessen
The Brothers Grimm spent their childhood in Steinau; the castle has an exhibition about them, alongside its Renaissance rooms.
Season not published
Opening hours and access
Lohrer Schloss
Lohr am Main, Bayern
The Spessartmuseum, housed in the castle, has argued since 1986 that Snow White was Maria Sophia von Erthal, born in Lohr in 1729 and daughter of the castle’s administrator; it is a local theory, which nothing in the tales confirms.
Season not published
Opening hours and access
Polle Castle
Polle, Niedersachsen
A ruin above the Weser, with a 20 metre keep to climb; Cinderella is performed in its courtyard several times a year.
Season not published
Hours to be confirmed
Opening hours and access
Philippsruhe Castle
Hanau, Hessen
In Hanau, the Brothers Grimm’s birthplace; the castle park hosts the Grimm fairy tale festival every summer, and the castle houses the town’s history museum.
Season not published
Hours to be confirmed
Opening hours and access
Bellevue Palace
Kassel, Hessen
In Kassel, it long housed the Brothers Grimm museum, which has since moved to the Grimmwelt; today it is home to the Spohr museum and the literature house.
Season not published
Opening hours and access
Schloss Schönfeld
Kassel, Hessen
The Brothers Grimm and other German Romantics met here; the castle, in a public park in Kassel, houses a restaurant.
Season not published
Opening hours and access
Burg Herstelle (Herstelle Castle)
Beverungen, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Above the Weser, the house welcomed the Brothers Grimm and Annette von Droste-Hülshoff in the 19th century; access remains limited.
Season not published
Opening hours and access
Burg Schwalenberg (Schwalenberg Castle)
Schieder-Schwalenberg, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Part of the Fairy Tale Route through the legend of the Volkwin spring; the castle houses a café and holiday flats.
Season not published
Opening hours and access

The map

The 10 places on this page. Tap a point to open its page.

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The route

The Fairy Tale Route runs from south to north in three or four days: Hanau and Lohr in the Spessart, Steinau in the Kinzig valley, Kassel where the Grimms collected their tales, then the Reinhardswald forest with the Sababurg and Trendelburg, and the Weser valley as far as Polle and Schwalenberg.

Stop	From the previous stop
1.Philippsruhe Castle · Hanau
2.Lohrer Schloss · Lohr am Main	51 km
3.Schloss Steinau (Steinau Castle) · Steinau an der Straße	36 km
4.Bellevue Palace · Kassel	111 km
5.Schloss Schönfeld · Kassel	2 km
6.Sababurg · Hofgeismar	28 km
7.Burg Trendelburg (Trendelburg Castle) · Trendelburg	9 km
8.Burg Herstelle (Herstelle Castle) · Beverungen	7 km
9.Polle Castle · Polle	29 km
10.Burg Schwalenberg (Schwalenberg Castle) · Schieder-Schwalenberg	14 km

287 km in a straight line overall

Frequently asked questions

Where is Rapunzel’s tower?: At Trendelburg, in northern Hesse: the castle keep, with more than 130 steps, is called Rapunzel’s tower after the Brothers Grimm’s tale. The castle is now a hotel on the German Fairy Tale Route.
Where is Snow White’s castle?: None is documented. In Lohr am Main, the castle museum has argued since 1986 that Snow White was inspired by Maria Sophia von Erthal, born in Lohr in 1729, daughter of the castle’s administrator; it is a local theory.
Brothers Grimm castles: which ones are open all year?: None is listed as open all year in the opening periods we have collected. Check each page before you go.