Hameln — Hamelin to the English-speaking world — is the town of the Pied Piper legend, situated about 50 km southwest of Hannover in the hilly Weserbergland along the river Weser.
The carefully restored old town centre is the main attraction. Weser Renaissance buildings line the streets: the Rattenfängerhaus (Pied Piper's House, 1602), the Dempterhaus (1607), the Leisthaus (1585) and the Hochzeitshaus (1610) among them. The style is distinctive — ornate stone facades with scrolled gables, unique to this stretch of the Weser valley. In summer, the Pied Piper open-air play is performed on the Hochzeitshaus terrace every Sunday at noon. The Pied Piper Museum in the Leisthaus digs into the many theories about what the legend might actually record.
The town draws around two million day visitors a year, which gives the centre a lively feel. Beyond the Pied Piper theme, the Weser promenade and surrounding hills make for pleasant walking. The Market Square is at its best during the Sunday play and the weekly farmers' market.