Hamelin Records Preserve Missing Children

The Pied Piper of Hamelin remains a legend, but medieval records from Hamelin, Germany, preserve the memory of children who reportedly vanished in 1284. A stained-glass window created around 1300 apparently commemorated the event, while a 1384 town record declared, "It is 100 years since our children left." Later accounts placed the number at 130 children and described a colorfully dressed piper leading them away. However, rats did not enter the story until around 1559, and historians still do not know what the original event represented.

Previous Fact Next Fact