A dictionary does not reveal much about this Till or Tyll Eulenspiegel (Low German: Ulenspegel). It is assumed that he was born in Kneitlingen, a city located in Lower Saxony in northern Germany and that he probably died in Mölln, close to Lübeck, in Schleswig-Holstein in the very North of Germany in around 1350. The stories about the rural fool can be traced back to the 15th century and showed the supremacy of quick-witted peasants over craftsmen mostly in an exaggerated way and this was often based on a very literal manner of executing orders…

	Mural by Helene Schwab in our arcade

There is possibly no other figure in folklore that has fascinated generations of people as much as this Eulenspiegel. But was he a wise man, a fool, a prankster or just a jester? If he had only been this, surely he would have been long forgotten.

Till Eulenspiegel is like a court jester who enjoys the freedom to do what he pleases without fearing the consequences and smilingly holds a mirror of truth up to the princes of the world. However, he did not do this at royal courts, but at markets and fairs in urban and rural areas.

If Till Eulenspiegel trudged through Germany with his cart today, he would have a lot of work to do. He would discover many narrow-minded and intolerant people.Those people would never think that their issue is not the most important one in the world. Eulenspiegel would find many people that he could hold a mirror up to. Today, don’t you think that many people need someone to keep their feet on the ground from time to time to point out with a wink “Come on, don’t take yourself too seriously – keep your feet on the ground”.

On our inn sign Till Eulenspiegel holds up his mirror to everyone passing by to ask them with extended index-finger to look in it, in order to make them realise their own failures first, before they call somebody else a fool. Our “Weinstube” takes its name from these thoughts and experiences. In its cottages with crown glasses, its narrow, winding corridors, you are transported back to this time, making you think about this. Maybe you will meet him while you are here because you want to escape your routine by having a glass of wine to forget your worries or to find yourself or even better – to find someone else …

Because: “Hei leiwet noch” – which means that this Till Eulenspiegel is still alive!