Her paternal ancestors were persecuted Huguenots who fled from France to Hesse-Kassel after the Edict of Nantes was revoked.

As she grew up, Viehmann picked up numerous stories, legends and fairy tales from the guests of her father's tavern.

A number of stories in Grimms' Fairy Tales are likely to trace back to Dorothea Viehmann: The abbreviation "KHM" refers to the collection's original title Kinder- und Hausmärchen.

The historical part of Niederzwehren is today sometimes called Märchenviertel, Fairy Tale Quarter, in honor of the famous storyteller.

In 2009, a memorial of Dorothea Viehmann by the artist Berahna Massoum was installed close to the Fairy Tale Quarter.