Covington in Kenton County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 26, 2016
1. The Pied Piper of Hamelin Marker
Inscription.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin. . According to legend, the town of Hamelin, Germany was once infested with rats. In desperation, the townspeople agreed to pay a piper to rid it of the vermin. He accomplished the task with the aid of his pipe, but the people refused to pay. In retaliation, he played his pipe again, luring their children into a mysterious cave in the mountainside. Only one crippled boy was unable to follow. The children never returned.
(Some trace the legend to the Children's Crusade of 1212 when 40,000 German children, inspired by religious zeal, were led over the Alps toward the Holy Land. They, too, never returned.)
The story is preformed above on the bell tower by 21 separate mechanical figures, including the piper, mayor, "weeping women", nine children and nine rats.
According to legend, the town of Hamelin, Germany was once
infested with rats. In desperation, the townspeople agreed to pay
a piper to rid it of the vermin. He accomplished the task
with the aid of his pipe, but the people refused to pay. In
retaliation, he played his pipe again, luring their children
into a mysterious cave in the mountainside. Only one crippled boy
was unable to follow. The children never returned.
(Some trace the legend to the Children's Crusade of 1212 when
40,000 German children, inspired by religious zeal, were led
over the Alps toward the Holy Land. They, too, never returned.)
The story is preformed above on the bell tower by 21 separate
mechanical figures, including the piper, mayor, "weeping women",
nine children and nine rats.
Erected 1980 by Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau, Main Strasse Village.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Notable Events. A significant historical year for this entry is 1212.
Location. 39° 5.053′ N, 84° 31.236′ W. Marker is in Covington, Kentucky, in Kenton County. It is on Philadelphia Street north of West 6th Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Covington KY 41011, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this
Click or scan to see this page online
marker is in Kentucky’s Outer Bluegrass. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Ohio River Valley. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Antebellum South.
More about this marker. The marker is in Goebel Park. If you can spot the tower, you can find the marker. (If you can't spot the tower, get your eyes checked.)
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 26, 2016
2. The Pied Piper of Hamelin Marker - wide view
The marker is visible here on the right side of the base of the bell tower.
known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the titular character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to the Middle Ages, the earliest references describing a piper, dressed in multicolored ("pied") clothing, who was a rat-catcher hired by the town to lure rats away with his magic pipe. When the citizens refuse to pay for this service, he retaliates by using his instrument's magical power on their children, leading them away as he had the rats. This version of the story spread as folklore and has appeared in the writings of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Brothers Grimm, and Robert Browning, among others." (Submitted on March 7, 2020.)
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 26, 2016
3. No, kids, don't follow that man!
Kate Greenaway (courtesy of the New York Public Library), 1910
4. Pied piper of Hamelin
Photographed by Craig Doda, September 4, 2021
5. Nearby dedication plaques
Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 1,689 times since then and 119 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 7, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 5. submitted on September 4, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.
