Raise your hand if as a child you didn’t dream at least once of meeting your own favorite fairy tale character, Pinocchio, the Little Mermaid, Peter Pan(at least for the current thirty-year-olds) accompanied the long winter afternoons after homework.
In reality, however, many of them have long since left fairy tale book and they became protagonists of theme parks, exhibitions or even real ones symbols of hometowns. We chose six characters, and here’s the journey to discover fairytale places dedicated to them.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany: the fairytale castle par excellence
The fairytale castle par excellence, inspiration for Disney’s castle. Located in Bavaria, this fairytale palace looks like it came straight out of a dream and is surrounded by fantastic landscapes.
Maienfeld, Switzerland: at Heidi’s house
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Continue to be the little girl more generous and animal lover of the world, which is why his story was translated into 40 languages. We’re talking about Heidi and its idyllic landscape: the village, grandfather’s mountain, Peter’s house. In the Swiss Grisons, who gave authorship to the famous children’s story, it is possible to walk retracing it the story of Heidi: there is her path, her village and her house, a mountain hut that has become a museum which illustrates the little girl’s entire life.
Collodi, Italy: Pinocchio park
The wooden puppet which for years has given joys and sorrows to father Geppetto lives in Collodi in Tuscany. In fact, since 1956 the Pinocchio Park, character born from the mind of Carlo Lorenzini (Collodi). Mosaics, statues, miniature buildings they retrace all the settings of The Adventures of Pinocchio. From Fire Eater to the whale, from the Blue Fairy to the cat and the fox and even the Land of Toys and the Puppet Theater.
Rovaniemi, Finland: Santa’s house
For centuries straddling fantasy and reality, you just need to go to Finland to discover that Santa Claus he exists and you can find him in his study intent on reading, all year round, the letters of children from all over the world. Al Santa Claus Village, the theme park located eight km from Rovaniemi there are all the attractions related to the Christmas character, including the personal post office.
Visby and Stockholm, Sweden: by Pippi Longstocking
To meet Pippi longstockings, the over the top little girl protagonist of the novel of the same name by Astrid Lindgren, you have to fly to Sweden. In Visby, on the island of Gotland, there are all the film set locations and the Kneippbyn amusement park where it is possible to relive the adventures of the red-haired girl immersed among moose, cows, squirrels and roe deer in the wild. In Stockholm, instead, there is the Junibacken Museum entirely dedicated to Pippi and the other characters from Lindgren’s books.
London, Great Britain: the statue of Peter Pan
In the Kensington Gardens we find the bronze statue of Peter Pan, place chosen by the writer himself J.M. Barrie who lived near the gardens. To humanize his character, Barrie was inspired by a six-year-old boy. In 1912 the sculptor George Frampton gave life to the famous statue that welcomes children at the entrance to the gardens.
Copenhagen, Denmark: The Little Mermaid
There Little Mermaid over time it has become the symbolic sculpture of Copenhagen. The story written in 1837 by Hans Christian Andersen set between the seabed and the land, in a mix of fantasy and everyday life, it lives again in the House of Fairytales, the interactive museum of the Danish capital.
Bremen, Germany: the Bremen Town Musicians statue
In Bremen, in the heart of Germany, there is one of the most famous statues dedicated to a fairy tale: that of the Bremen Musicians, inspired by the story of the Brothers Grimm. The bronze sculpture, located next to the Town Hall, depicts the four animals protagonists of the story – the donkey, the dog, the cat and the rooster – one on top of the other, a symbol of collaboration and hope. According to tradition, touching the donkey’s legs brings good luck. This iconic monument is one of the city’s most beloved attractions.
Black Forest, Germany: the Hansel and Gretel forest
Among the green expanses of southern Germany lies the legendary Black Forest, a place where reality and fantasy intertwine in a magical way. These thousand-year-old woods, with their dense vegetation and paths shrouded in fog, have provided the inspiration for some of the most famous fairy tales in the world, including the unforgettable “Hänsel and Gretel” and many other immortal stories by the Brothers Grimm.
In the heart of this enchanted landscape lies Baiersbronn, where the Fairy Tale Museum offers visitors a unique experience. Through interactive and engaging displays, the museum allows you to completely immerse yourself in the world of traditional German fairy tales, making the magic that has fascinated generations of readers tangible.
But the true essence of the Black Forest is discovered by walking along its enchanted paths. These paths, which wind between centuries-old trees and crystal-clear streams, lead visitors to places that seem to have come straight from the pages of a storybook.
The Wood of Brocéliande, Brittany, France: King Arthur’s wood
The Wood of Brocéliande, located in Brittany, is a place shrouded in mystery and magic, deeply linked to the legends of King Arthur. It is said that Merlin, Morgana and the brave Knights of the Round Table lived here. Among centuries-old trees and enchanted paths, it is possible to visit legendary places such as Merlin’s Tomb, the Fountain of Youth and the mystical Valley of No Return, immersing yourself in a timeless atmosphere.
