Hameln, known to English speakers as Hamelin, owes its fame to a piper. According to the legend, recorded in the town's chronicles, in 1284 a stranger in a coloured coat promised to rid the town of rats, led them into the Weser with his pipe, and when the townspeople refused to pay, he led away their children as well. The story has been told by the Brothers Grimm and by Robert Browning, and the town has embraced it wholeheartedly: rat-shaped souvenirs, a pied piper show in summer, and bronze rats on the pavements.
Behind the legend lies a handsome town. Hameln sits on the Weser river, and its old centre is a showcase of Weser Renaissance architecture, with richly carved half-timbered houses, stepped gables, and decorative stonework. The Hochzeitshaus, or wedding house, and the Rattenfängerhaus, the Rat-Catcher's House, are two of the finest. The streets are pedestrianised, with the rat motif repeated on every corner, and the whole centre is easy to explore on foot after you park the bike.
The riding around Hameln is gentle and pleasant. The Weser Uplands, with their wooded hills, castles, and half-timbered villages, begin here, and the B83 follows the river upstream toward Bodenwerder and Holzminden. The roads are smooth, with long easy curves, and the scenery is soft rather than dramatic. Traffic in town can be busy, and the one-way systems are confusing, so use the car parks on the edge and walk in. In summer, weekend visitors fill the pedestrian streets, and midweek mornings are quieter.
Fuel and food are no trouble in a town of nearly sixty thousand people. There are stations on the main roads, supermarkets, and a wide choice of cafes and restaurants, from traditional inns serving pork and potato dishes to ice cream parlours on the squares. Aerzen, a smaller town about nine kilometres away, is quieter. In summer, the Piper play is staged on Sundays in front of the Hochzeitshaus, and it makes a good break. Winters are cold and damp, and the river can flood after heavy rain, but the old town looks lovely under frost.