Rat Infestation Plagues Hamelin

"City of Pied Piper Fame", one of my reportages released in late 1990's
Photos & written by Don Schumann


The German city of Hamelin may be in need of another Pied Piper - it seems the rats are back

A popular fountain has been put out of service after the rodents gnawed through a power cable, according to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

The Lower Saxony city is where, legend has it, the Pied Piper led all the rats out in 1284 with his magic pipe into the Weser River, where they drowned.

But more than 700 years later, city officials say such drastic measures may not be necessary. The fountain was due to be permanently closed anyway because of the high upkeep costs.

And the solution in the fictitious Piper story isn't practical anyway: rats are actually pretty good swimmers.

One of the special feature series published in international magazines in early 2000's about
"Die Deutsche Märchenstraße"
Photos & written by Don Schumann

from Wikipedia,

The town is famous for the folk tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin (German: Der Rattenfänger von Hameln), a medieval story that tells of a tragedy that befell the town in the thirteenth century. The version written by the Brothers Grimm made it popular throughout the world; it is also the subject of well-known poems by Goethe and Robert Browning. Although Hamelin has a fine medieval old town with some remarkable buildings, the main attraction is the tale of the Pied Piper. In the summer every Sunday, the tale is performed by actors in the town center.