The Way of St. James is actually a collective term for the European pilgrimage routes to the tomb of the apostle James Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The classic Way of St. James is the Camino Francés from the Spanish-French border in the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela. With the revival of the pilgrimage tradition, however, numerous pilgrimage routes of the Middle Ages were rediscovered and so the pilgrimage route begins in principle on your own doorstep.
background
The Way of St. James (Caminos de Santiago) are European pilgrimage routes that lead from Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The most important section goes from the Spanish-French border over the Pyrenees through the Spanish interior and is Camino Francés called. From the south, from Seville, the Via de la Plata to Santiago.
Classically, the "Camino" (Eng. "Way"), as the Way of St. James is called by pilgrims, is walked, although you should be in good health, as the way is sometimes very difficult. Some pilgrims do it on bicycles, others use a horse or donkey. The use of other means of transport contradicts the idea of pilgrims and can lead to the withdrawal of the pilgrim pass, which means that the receipt of the "Compostela" pilgrimage certificate is excluded.
Pilgrim pass and pilgrimage certificate
To become an official Jacob pilgrim, you need a pilgrim's pass (credencial). This can be purchased at various locations. The easiest way is to apply to a German Jakobus Society. For a small fee, it can be sent home within a very short time. Membership in the respective society (e.g. Jakobusfreunde Paderborn) is not necessary for this.
It is also possible to obtain the ID at the respective starting point along the Camino de Santiago. Traditional starting locations (such as Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port) Appropriate pilgrimage offices that will issue the identity card. If there is no pilgrimage office, the local church can issue one. However, it can happen that in very small communities no ID cards are available.
In some regions of Germany, the pilgrim pass is issued by Catholic parishes during a church service. You may be referred to a parish called "St. Jakob".
Anyone who covers at least the last 100 km on foot, 200 km by bicycle or 200 km on a horse or donkey and has their pilgrim ID stamped after each stage in the hostel, a church, a bar, at a private person or similar, receives in Santiago de Compostela a pilgrimage certificate in Latin. This is called Compostela. After a confession, according to Catholic doctrine, one can also receive a general indulgence from all sins.
preparation
equipment
- good backpack (e.g. Deuter, Lowe Alpine)
- (Hut) sleeping bag in warm regions, otherwise a down sleeping bag
- 2x trekking pants with removable legs
- 2x hiking shirts / blouses, quick-drying
- 2-3x hiking socks (e.g. Falke, X-Socks, Woolpower etc.)
- 2-3x functional underwear (shirt and briefs / shorts, e.g. Odlo, X-Bionic, Biehler etc.)
- Hiking boots (e.g. Hanwag, Lowa, Meindl)
- Rain jacket and, if necessary, a light jacket
- Sweatshirt (fleece clothing)
- Headgear (UV protection)
- sunglasses
- Flip-flops (the showers in the hostels are not always very hygienic)
- Sandals or sneakers
- Rain poncho (Kraxenponcho = rain poncho with backpack cover)
- Headlamp / torch
- Walking sticks
- Pocket knife and / or simple cutlery
- Lighter, safety pin, leash (for drying laundry)
- Toiletries (shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.)
- Towels, quick-drying (no terrycloth)
- personal medication
- Emergency pharmacy (e.g. painkillers, Imodium)
- suncream
- Deer sebum cream or Vaseline (to prevent blisters and the "wolf")
- Earplugs (important if you want to stay in the hostels)
- Hiking guide
- Pilgrim pass
- possibly camera
- possibly cell phone
Way of St. James in Europe
German Way of St. James
north
- Via Baltica - North German Way of St. James (Sassnitz- or Usedom–Rostock–Lübeck–Hamburg–Bremen–Osnabrück)
- Via Jutlandicathat comes from the Danish Aalborg leads to Hamburg and further, often also referred to as Ochsenweg
- Braunschweig Way of St. James
east
center
- Way of St. James in Saxony-Anhalt
- Via regia in Central Germany (Gorlitz–Leipzig–Erfurt–Eisenach–Vacha)
west
- Way of St. James in Westphalia:
- Way 1: Osnabrück - Lengerich - Ladbergen - Munster in Westphalia - Rinkerode - Herbern - Werne - Luenen - Dortmund (Connection to Path 2 to Bochum) - Herdecke - Gevelsberg - Wuppertal-Beyenburg
- Way 2: Corvey - Höxter - Ovenhausen - Bökendorf (pilgrim cross) - Brakel - Bad Driburg - Dahl - Paderborn - Geseke - Erwitte - Soest - Werl - Unna - Dortmund - Bochum
- Way 3: Minden - Herford - Lippstadt - Bielefeld - Gutersloh - Rheda-Wiedenbrück - Lippstadt - Soest (Connection to Way 2 to Bochum)
- Way 4: Bielefeld - Marienfeld - Warendorf - Telgte - Munster in Westphalia (Connection to path 1 to Beyenburg) - Nottuln - Coesfeld - Velen - Bark - Raesfeld - Wesel
- Way 5: (Marburg) - Grove - Wins - Freudenberg - (Cologne)
- Heerweg / Römerweg: Paderborn - Dalheim Monastery - Marsberg - Elspe
- Heidenstrasse: Korbach - Marienheide
- Way of St. James in the Rhineland:
- Wuppertal-Beyenburg–Cologne–Aachen–Liege
- Via Coloniensis: Cologne-Hürt-Bruehl-Bornheim-Weilerswist-Euskirchen-Bad Münstereifel-Blankenheim-Kronenburg-Ormont-Prüm-Beautiful corners-Waxweiler-Neuerburg-Mettendorf-Walnut-Echternach (Luxembourg)-trier
- Nijmegen–Kleve–Krefeld-Cologne
- Dortmund–eat–Dusseldorf–Aachen or Nijmegen–Maastricht- Liège)
- Lahn-Camino (Wetzlar–Limburg on the Lahn–Lahnstein)
- Moselle Camino (Koblenz–trier)
south
- Upper Swabian Way of St. James (Ulm–Biberach an der Riss–Ravensburg–Constancy)
- Way of St. James in Franconia (Kronach- or Erfurt–Coburg–Bamberg–Nuremberg or court–Bayreuth–Nuremberg or Bamberg – Uffenheim)
- East Bavarian Way of St. James (Prague–Eschlkam–regensburg–Donauwörth)
Swiss Way of St. James
The main routes through Switzerland lead from Constancy to Rapperswil-Jona or Rorschach to Rapperswil-Jona. From Rapperswil-Jona over the Seedamm to Einsiedeln. Then there are two ways from Einsiedeln to Riggisberg. The main path leads over Schwyz Brunnen, Stans and over the Brünig Pass. The winter route via Lucerne, Wolhusen, Huttwil and Burgdorf. From Riggisberg they lead back together to Friborg via Lausanne and Geneva.
French Way of St. James
- Via Turonensis: Paris–Orleans–Tours–Poitiers–Bordeaux–Ostabat (Info Wikipedia)
- Via Lemovicensis: Vezelay–Bourges–Limoges–Périgueux–Ostabat (Info Wikipedia)
- Via giving: Geneva–Le Puy-en-Velay
- Via Podiensis − Le Puy-en-Velay (Auvergne) –Figeac – Cahors–Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Pyrenees) (Info Wikipedia)
- Via Tolosana - Arles–Montpellier–Toulouse–Also – Puente la Reina (Info Wikipedia)
Polish Way of St. James
- Camino Polaco of Ogrodniki above Olsztyn, Toruń, Trzemeszno, Gniezno, Murowana Goślina and Witkowo to Slubice. This route is over 600 km long.
- Wielkopolska Way of St. James of Gniezno above Poses, Leszno and Wschowa to Głogów. This route is approx. 235 km long.
- St. James Way of St. James Lesser Poland of Sandomierz or. Tarnobrzeg above Koprzywnica, Klimontów, Stopnica, Wiślica, Skalbmierz, Krakow, Tyniec and Alwernia to Auschwitz. The route is approx. 200 km long.
- Lower Silesian Way of St. James of Głogów above Polkowice, Chocianów, Bolesławiec, Nowogrodziec and Luban to Zgorzelec. This route is about 160 km long.
- Piast way of Poses above Pobiedziska, Moraczewo, Ostrów Lednicki, Gniezno, Trzemeszno, Mogilno, Strzelno, Kruszwica, Inowrocław, Płowce, Brześć Kujawski to Włocławek as well as in its southern junction over Wągrowiec, Łekno, Żnin, Biskupine, Gniezno, Grzybowo, Giecz, Ląd, Konin to Kalisz. Together these routes are approx. 300 km long.
- Pomeranian Way of St. James of Braniewo along the Polish Baltic coast above Frombork, Elbląg, Danzig, Sianowo, Lębork, Łeba, Ustka, Koszalin, Kołobrzeg, Kamień Pomorski, Wollin, Szczecin to Świnoujście. The route is over 500 km long.
- Sudeten Way of St. James of Krzeszów above Kamienna Góra, Kowary, Mysłakowice, Jelenia Góra, Lubomierz, Gryfów Śląski, Olszyna to Luban. The route is approx. 105 km long.
- Via Regia of Przemyśl above Jaroslaw, Przeworsk, Łańcut, Rzeszów, Dębica, Tarnów, Krakow, Ojców, Olkusz, Sławków, Będzin, Piekary Śląskie, Bytom, Tarnowskie Góry, Opole, Brzeg, Oława, Wroclaw, Środa Śląska, Legnica, Złotoryja, Lwówek Śląski, Luban to Zgorzelec. The route is approx. 500 km long.
Portuguese Way of St. James
- Caminho Português of Lisbon above postage and Vigo to Santiago de Compostela. This route is also part of the E9
Spanish Way of St. James
- Camino Francés
- Camino de la Costa and Camino del Norte (Northern Spanish Coastal Path)
- Via de la Plata
- Camino a Fisterra (from Santiago to Cabo Fisterra, not an actual part of the Way of St. James, but taken by many pilgrims at the end of the trip.
accommodation
In principle, there are different options for staying overnight, depending on the section and country.
Holders of a pilgrim's pass can stay overnight in the pilgrim hostels along the way. These offer accommodation in dormitories, shared rooms or double rooms.
In Spain these are operated by different institutions, which results in different standards and prices:
- urban hostel: mostly free, very bad, often dirty, less crowded; not reservable
- Church hostel: mostly free, but a donativo (donation, € 5-10) is expected; not reservable; relatively good, but a share in church life is expected (going to mass, discussions, prayers)
- private hostel: chargeable (5-15 €), from bad to very good; reservable
- Galician hostel (only in Galicia): paid but cheap, generally very good; not reservable
Some of the hostels offer a kitchen, although there is often no kitchen equipment available due to thieving pilgrims. The hostel carers (hospitaleros) do not normally provide catering. Food has to be procured and prepared by yourself or you go to restaurants / bars every evening, where pilgrim menus are offered (simple meal, 3 courses, 8-11 € including wine).
In France, overnight stays in church or private hostels (or with families) are the order of the day, although breakfast or half board can also be booked here.
If possible, you can also spend the night in pensions, hotels or campsites. However, pensions or hotels are not available in all places along the way.
security
Since the Spanish and French Way of St. James are well run, especially in the summer months, there is no need to worry about endangering your life on the way. The Camino Francés is most likely to be recommended for beginners, as it leads most pilgrims to Santiago. The other sections are less well attended, so that sometimes lonely day stages are also possible. Cell phone reception is only possible to a limited extent in some areas.
Travel time
May / June or September / October are most likely to be recommended. At Easter, rain and low temperatures can still be expected in Spain and Portugal; in summer it can be too hot for hiking or biking.
literature
Fiction
: Then I'll be gone - my journey on the Camino de Santiago. Malik, 2007 (61st edition), ISBN 3890293123 , P. 320 (German). Hape Kerkeling, German comedian and actor, talks about his arduous journey on the Camino. In addition to impressions of the country and its people, he describes his thoughts and describes the pilgrimage life with all the advantages and disadvantages, reporting on lonely hikes through the wasteland as well as refreshing acquaintances with all kinds of people along the way. Bestseller.
Movie
Saint Jacques… pilgrimages in French, the film by Coline Serreau is about a very heterogeneous group of pilgrims who set out on the Camino de Santiago to fulfill a testament.
