Located in: [[Niedersachsen]] > [Hamelin](geo:52.1039941,9.3561569). Hamelin (/ˈhæməlɪn/ HAM-(ə-)lin; German: Hameln [ˈhaːml̩n] ⓘ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is famous for the folk tale of the *Pied Piper of Hamelin*[^1], a medieval story that tells of a tragedy that befell the town in the 13th century. Every Sunday in summer, the tale is performed by actors in the town centre. The tale goes: A town in Germany, Hamelin, was overrun with rats. The town's desperate leaders hired a mysterious piper dressed in colourful (hence "pied") clothes, promising him a large reward to rid them of the rats. The piper played a magical tune on his pipe, which lured all the rats into the river, where they drowned. After he succeeded, however, the town refused to pay him the agreed sum. Enraged, the piper returned and played another tune, this time enchanting the town's children. He led around 130 children out of Hamelin, and they vanished, never to be seen again. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of breaking promises and the importance of honesty and fairness. Different versions of the tale offer various endings, with some suggesting a tragic fate for the children while others hint at their relocation to another place. [^1]: German: *Der Rattenfänger von Hameln*