Station: [18] White Horse Tower, Schimmelturmgasse 6


The course of the massive 15th century town wall is marked by a total of six defensive towers. One of them is the Schimmelturm – the White Horse Tower, which used to be called the "White Tower". It’s the only one that has survived in its original form and retains its full height. The only entrance is around five metres or sixteen feet up. So an enemy hoping to take the tower would have had a hard time.

F: Every year at Christmas time, the area around the White Horse Tower is transformed into a magical fairy-tale landscape. Full-size human figures re-enact various fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm. Every year, a penniless young girl sits beneath the archway and hands out her last possessions to others in need.

M: "Oh please, I'm so hungry. Give me something to eat," ...

F: ... said an old man. And the girl gave him her last piece of bread.

M: "My head feels so cold",

F: …said a boy. And the girl gave him her hat. After she’d handed out all her possessions to the poor and had nothing left, star money rained from the heavens. And – if she didn’t died, the poor girl must have lived happily ever after –perhaps even as a wealthy woman…

M: Did you recognise the story? It’s “Die Sterntaler", The Star Money, by the Brothers Grimm. So ... what’s your favourite fairy tale?

F: We'll be telling you a less magical story at our next stop, at number 10, Bahnhofstrasse.

Fotos: © Trüpschuch