''Kunt u mij de weg naar Hamelen vertellen, mijnheer?'' (''Do you know the way to Hamelin, Sir ?''; lit. ''Can you tell me the way to Hamelin, sir?'') is a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...

series from the 1970s. It was broadcast by

KRO KRO, or (Catholic Radio Broadcasting), was a Dutch public broadcasting organization founded on 23 April 1925. Broadly Catholic in its spiritual outlook, KRO broadcast the bulk of its television output on the NPO 1 channel. KRO was also responsi ...

and became an instant success.

Overview

Based on the fairy tale "

The Pied Piper of Hamelin The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to ...

", it tells what happened with the children after they disappeared from this

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

town. When The Piedpiper solves the rat problem in the town of Hamelin The Mayor refuses to pay him his gold so out of revenge he disappears with all the children of the town and 4 adults (Bertram Bierenbroodspot, his fiancé and the daughter of the Mayor Lidwientje Walg, Gatekeeper Aernout Koffij and Town Crier Hildebrandt Brom), the alternate reality they find themselves in is an Alice in Wonderland-like adventure with flying pumpkins and carpets, mud fighting princes, dwarfs and witches, a love elixir, Wensela's melting ice palace and a lot more. The show featured over 120 songs.

Episodes

45 episodes were taped between 1972 and 1976; only the last six survive on tape, aside from a few compilations of the first episodes, as after broadcasting the tapes were

wiped Lost television broadcasts are mostly those early television programs which cannot be accounted for in studio archives (or in personal archives) usually because of deliberate destruction or neglect. Common reasons for loss A significant prop ...

to be reused. A significant part of the erased material has been preserved by recording on a

videocassette recorder A videocassette recorder (VCR) or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other source on a removable, magnetic tape videocassette, and can play back the reco ...

, though in inferior quality.

Cast

Rob de Nijs Rob de Nijs (born 26 December 1942) is a Dutch singer and actor, active since the 1960s. Biography 1962–1968 De Nijs, backed by The Lords, won a talent-contest in 1962 and released his first single in 1962, " Ritme van de Regen". In 1965 D ...

; Bertram Bierenbroodspot: Son of cloth merchant Simon Bierenbroodspot * Ida Bons (Season 1)/ Loeki Knol (Seasons 2-5); Lidwientje Walg: Bertram's fiancée and the daughter of Mayor Willem Walg * Ab Hofstee; Hildebrandt Brom: The Town Crier of Hamelin (is the only one who wasn't under the influence of The Pied Piper's music, because he kept his ears covered) * Martin Brozius; Aernout Koffij: Gatekeeper of Hamelin * Kinderkoor Henk van der Velde: Children of Hamelin

Reunions

In late 1989 KRO reran the final 6 episodes and footage from a 1976 one-off concert. Many of the actors reunited for a television appearance dressed in the same costumes. Another reunion followed eight years later; this time some of the original child actors were involved.

Musical

A musical version premièred on 13 October 2003 in

Tilburg Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-larg ...

. Loeki Knol was the only original cast member involved, playing Lidwina Walg. The show also featured

Chantal Janzen Chantal Janzen (; born 15 February 1979) is a Dutch actress, singer and TV presenter. She had parts in '' The Preacher'', ''Full Moon Party'' and '' Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo'' and presented '' Idols''. She also played Belle in the Dutch mu ...

and

Kim-Lian Kim-Lian van der Meij (born 1 October 1980 in Beverwijk) is a Dutch musical actress, presenter and a singer-songwriter. Biography Kim-Lian comes from a musical family. Both her parents were professional dancers. Kim-Lian won a number of dance co ...

. Cast: * René van Kooten: Bertram Bierenbroodspot *

: Lidwientje Walg * Maarten Wansink: Hildebrandt Brom/Prince Roelof * Job Schuring: Aernout Koffij/Prince Koen * Michel Sorbach: Piedpiper/Gruizel Gruis/Guurt van Grasp * Ellis van Laarhoven: Wenzela/Mother of Hilletje * Loeki Knol: Lidwina Walg/Queen * Jan Elbertse: Ambtenaar Ogterop/Mayor Walg * Danny Rook: Prince Tor/Spicht *

Kim-Lian van der Meij Kim-Lian van der Meij (born 1 October 1980 in Beverwijk) is a Dutch musical actress, presenter and a singer-songwriter. Biography Kim-Lian comes from a musical family. Both her parents were professional dancers. Kim-Lian won a number of dance co ...

: Princess Madelein * Suzan Seegers: Hilletje Labberton * Martin Stritzko: Barend Stip

External links

*
KindertTV website (in Dutch)
contains much information about the series. 1972 Dutch television series debuts 1976 Dutch television series endings Dutch children's television series Dutch fantasy television series Television shows set in Germany Television shows based on fairy tales Television about magic Television series set in the Middle Ages Television shows adapted into plays Dutch-language television shows {{Netherlands-tv-prog-stub