Germany's Fairy Tale Road Detour: Lauterbach's Garden Gnomes, Scalawag, and Summer Bobsled

Lauterbach, Germany is famous for the garden gnomes manufactured there. That alone was reason enough for me to show up. But there were other enticements as well. My research into the tale of the scalawag who lost his sock in Lauterbach was at a standstill in the United States. A prominent guidebook claimed the scalawag story was a Brothers Grimm creation, but nowhere in the Grimm compendiums I consulted was there any supporting evidence. Sneaking off to nearby Alsfeld for an Alsfeld Kiss and to meet up with Red Riding Hood appealed to me, too. But what turned out to be the most memorable part of the trip was Naturpark Hogher Vogelsberg's summerrodelbahn (summer bobsled)!

Before setting off in our footsteps, note that there is not one but four towns named Lauterbach in Germany. This stems from all those land-states in Germany's complicated history, a history I, unfortunately, never studied. But you need to know it's the Hesse Lauterbach you're looking for if this article inspires you to travel. It's toward the southern end of the Fairy Tale Road on the B254 between Alsfeld and Fulda, about 110 km south of Kassel.

The Hessian Lauterbach's Scalawag

It's virtually obligatory to visit the statue of the scalawag who lost his sock in Lauterbach. The scalawag story's ownership is hotly contested among competing Lauterbachs and its particulars differ by geography. This Lauterbach's version holds that a young man seeking work appeared in town with his belongings tied in a kerchief on a stick. As he appeared to be respectable and honest, the factory manager hired him. Before long, the young man showed his scalawag tendencies, falling in love with the manager's wife. The manager literally ran him out of town so fast that the scalawag lost a sock while running and dared not stop to retrieve it. Tradition dictates taking off shoes when visiting the statue.

And then? Why, you sing "In Lauterbach hab' ich mein strumpf verlor'n" to a tune reminiscent of "Oh, Where, Oh, Where Has My Little Dog Gone" at the top of your lungs as you skip along the cobbled streets in your stockinged-feet. In English, the song goes something like this:

I lost my sock in Lauterbach
Without it I don't go home
That's why I return to Lauterbach
To get back that sock of my own

Gnome Encounters

If that doesn't challenge your self-esteem sufficiently, begin asking around for the local specialty, garden gnomes, while looking suspiciously over your shoulder. Make sure and inquire of the merchants about "special" qualities any individual gnome might have.... And don't worry, while garden gnomes may have magical qualities, they are associated with good luck. The smaller ones make intriguing souvenirs.

Once you've met your quota of garden gnomes, you'll want to head downhill into the Unterer Graben (lower town) to the Schrittsteine to playfully cross the river. Whether you need to or not! The destination is not the point here. The Schrittsteine are block stepping stones that only the most play-minded folk would have thought of in lieu of a simple bridge.

The town itself is so small, it takes no more than an afternoon to see it. A very regal town, it supports two castles, Hohaus Castle, now a regional museum, and Eisenberg Castle.

Red Riding Hood

Although Lauterbach is on die Märchenstrasse (The Fairy Tale Road), a 400 mile meandering and dubious route, that encompasses beautiful countryside where the Brothers Grimm heard the folktales that they compiled into their famous Kinder und Hausmärchen, there's not a hint of Grimm association in it. It kind of snuck in. So to experience fairy tale fantasy, you're compelled to drive northwest on the B254 to Alsfeld. In typical fashion of the Schwalmstadt region, eligible young women from Alsfeld traditionally wore red caps to signal their interest in marriage. And these red caps, in this town or some other, probably figured into the tale of little red riding hood.

Alsfeld is a collection of charming gingerbread buildings, dating to the Middle Ages. The tourist office at Markt 13 provides a walking guide which details their historical significance. The must-see Red Riding Hood statue depicting a girl clad in a red cap is a few blocks off the main square. After seeing the statue, peruse the bakeries and buy some Alsfelder pflastersteine (praline cobblestones) and Alsfelder küsschen (chocolate kisses), the town sweets.

Summer Bobsled

In nearby Hoherodskopf, off the B276, Naturpark Hogher Vogelsberg is located on a long extinct volcano, evidence of whose existence is indiscernible. There is a cycle track here, and horseback riding and covered-wagon rides, but none of that holds a candle to the top attraction: sommerrodelbahn, or summer bobsledding. Summer bobsledding is fairly prevalent in Germany and Switzerland, but this track was our favorite. Made of curved metal half-tube-like construction, the track lay on the ground- an important consideration if you've ever seen some of the precarious monorail-style tracks perched among trees and rock in Switzerland!

But for my six-year old daughter's dubious driving skills (the girl is brake-adverse, I'm afraid), we'd have had an incident-free experience at the summer bobsled track. Even with the scrapes and bruises, the thrill of the ride demanded repetition. So some advice, buy the multi-run tickets and save yourself the time of waiting in line over and over, as well as some cash.

The cycle track at Naturpark Hogher Vogelsberg is the terminus of the track up Bird Mountain. Gently graded, the track is intended to accommodate families on bikes or blades, with or without experience. There's a Volcanic Express train that will come to your rescue should you or the kids become pedal-weary. Simply ride to one of its stations and hop aboard, bikes and all. For park information, contact Vogelsberg Touristik GmbH, Ludwigstraße 19, Schotten, Tel. 90 60 44 96 48, info@vogelsberg-touristik.de.

Fairy Tale Quality Lodging

There is but one place you should consider staying when on the trail of gnomes, scalawags and Red Riding Hood. It's the working farm Ferienhof Weigel in Rimlos on the western outskirts of Lauterbach. Familie Weigel, Lauterbachstraße 4, Tel. 06 641 2219, owns the farm. Only Herr. Weigel speaks English so consider the hours worked by farmers when placing a call.

At Ferienhof Weigel, guests have their own bedrooms off a common area with a kitchen and dining room where a hearty farm breakfast is served. This farm is a popular German vacation destination, yet it's almost unknown outside Germany. Consider it a unique opportunity to learn some German and make some German friends.

Children are welcome to help feed the bunnies and hens and to watch the cows being milked. Because milking machines are used, children may not do the milking. Guests are welcome to ride horses here. Once a week the family hosts a barbecue for the guests. Best of all, there is a raft with a pole in the brook (Lauterbach means laughing brook) that runs through the farm . Shed those shoes, step through the crystalline waters, and become Huck Finn, only battling the trickle of the Lauterbach instead of the undertow of the Mighty Mississippi...

If this farm is full, another farm takes in guests across the road: Familie Zinn, Old Dorfstraße 4-6, Tel. 06 641 61 133.

Rimlos' Culinary Surprise

To our surprise, the little restaurant next door to the farm, Gasthof Zur Mühle, served high quality meals at reasonable prices. We especially enjoyed eating on the outdoor patio amid the garden gnomes and historic farm machinery. Spaetzle with gravy, generous salads, and crepe dishes were among the favorites of the vegetarian contingent in our family, while meat dishes were plentiful as they always are in Germany.

If you're following the Fairy Tale Road, Lauterbach is only slightly off route and well worth the detour.