Since 2005, an ecumenical pilgrimage route of around 300 km has connected the two former Cistercian monasteries between the Lower Saxon town of Loccum near the Steinhuder Meer and the Thuringian Volkenroda near Mühlhausen.
background
In 1163, 13 Cistercian monks from Volkenroda set out north to found a new monastery, and they finally settled in Loccum.
Information about the monasteries at the start and finish point can be found at www.kloster-loccum.de and www.kloster-volkenroda.de.
preparation
Information about current route changes can be found here on the Route page to find.
Overnight stays
If you want to use the simple but inexpensive pilgrim hostels that are offered by many parishes along the way, good planning is essential, as these accommodations usually have to be registered in advance. In addition, equipment with a sleeping bag and, in many cases, a sleeping mat is required, as well as towels. You should always have an emergency ration of food with you, as pilgrims' accommodations are also available in smaller places where there are no restaurants or grocery stores. Often there is the possibility of using the kitchen in the pilgrims' hostels, but this is not compulsory, so it is essential to inquire in advance. As a rule, a small contribution towards expenses of around € 5 per person is charged for the overnight stay.
In addition, hotels, inns and private accommodations are of course also available as hosts on the route - some also grant a discount on presentation of the pilgrim's pass. Since there is not a pilgrimage hostel in all places (or the existing ones may already be fully booked), you have to include some commercial overnight stays in the financial budget.
Wikivoyage lists both pilgrim hostels and commercial overnight stays on the pages of the places and communities bordering the pilgrimage route (this list is currently - March 2012 - only being created).
Pilgrim pass
The pilgrim pass for the Loccum - Volkenroda pilgrimage route provides some liturgical suggestions for devotions on the way, as well as the Loccum pilgrim blessing. Sufficient space is left for the pilgrim stamps from the individual way stations. With the pilgrim pass, you may also get discounts at commercial overnight stays.
By post the pilgrim pass can be requested from
- House of Church Services, Loccum-Volkenroda pilgrimage route, Archivstr. 3, 30169 Hanover. . A sufficiently stamped (€ 0.90) and self-addressed envelope DIN long (110 x 220 mm) must be enclosed with the letter.
Directly the pass is available at the following locations:
- Loccum Monastery Pilgrimage Office, Klosterpforte, 31547 Rehburg-Loccum. Tel.: (0)5766 - 941575. Open: Mon, Tue, Wed and Fri 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- Fischbeck Abbey, Torhaus, Im Stift 1, 31840 Hessisch Oldendorf. Tel.: (0)5152 - 8603. Open: Tue - Sat 2pm - 4pm and by phone. Agreement.
- House of the Church, Q’Antati World Shop, Emmernstrasse 6, 31785 Hameln. Tel.: (0)5151 - 44208. Open: Tue - Fri 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
- Ev.-luth. Parishes of Neuhaus / Fohlenplacken and Silberborn, Eichenallee 1, 37603 Neuhaus. Tel.: (0)5536 - 225. Open: Tue, Thu, Fri 9 am to 11 am.
- Spiritual Center Bursfelde Monastery, Klosterhof 5, 34346 Hann. Münden. Tel.: (0)4455 - 1688. Open: Mon - Fri 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and by phone. Agreement.
- Volkenroda Monastery, Klosterpforte, Amtshof 3, 99998 Körner-Volkenroda. Tel.: (0)36025 - 5590. Open: Tues - Fri 10 am - 12 noon and 2 pm - 5 pm, Sat, Sun, public holidays 11 am - 12 noon and 2 pm - 5 pm.
getting there
By train
In the street
Route description in stages
The numbering of the stages corresponds to those of the official pilgrim route navigator and can partly also be found on the signposts along the way.
1 Loccum - Stadthagen (21.5 km)
- Loccum - is located west of the Steinhuder Meer in Lower Saxony (see also page of Loccum Monastery).
2 Stadhagen - Rehren (18.8 km)
- Crossing the Bückeberge
3 Rehren - Fischbeck (16 km)
- Crossing of the Weser Mountains
- Hessian Oldendorf - This is where the path meets the Weser.
4 Fischbeck - Hameln (11.4 km)
The Weser accompanies the route over Hamelin until after Bodenwerder. There are two options for pilgrims: The eastern route leads directly along the eastern bank of the Weser through the villages of Hagenohsen, Latferde and Hajen; the western route leads via Hämelschenburg and Lüntorf then over the hill of Hehlener Holz to Hehlen, before both routes at Kemnade monastery in Bodenwerder meet again.
5-6 Hameln - Bodenwerder
5a Hameln - Grohnde (13.2 km)
6a Grohnde - Bodenwerder (13 km)
5b Hameln - Lüntorf (17.2 km)
6b Lüntorf - Bodenwerder (15.3 km)
7 Bodenwerder - Königszinne - Kirchbrak (11.8 km)
From Bodenwerder it goes over the low mountain range of the Vogler direction Stadtoldendorf. In Bodenwerder you first have the choice between a flat and a hilly variant. While the western variant leads past the Kemnade monastery and touches the village, the eastern variant of the pilgrimage route remains on the eastern side of the Weser and leads through the narrow valley of the Lenne here parallel to the stream and the railway line to Linse. On the western route you walk through the inner city of Bodenwerder until you cross the southern Weser bridge, and then tackle the steep climb to the Königszinne at a height of approx. 270 m and back down to Buchhagen. There both routes meet again and now lead first across open fields to Kirchbrak.
8 Kirchbrak - Amelungsborn (11 km)
From Kirchbrak you can hike through the Vogler hills to the Amelungsborn monastery, which is just before the gates of Stadtoldendorf.
9 Amelungsborn - Silberborn (21.5 km)
- The next mountain is the Solling on the program. You can see it here Mecklenbruch moor in the north of Silberborn. From Hochsolling observation tower above Neuhaus in Solling By the way, you have a wide view to the west.
10-12 Silberborn - Bursfelde
From Silberborn you either hike over Uslar or through the Schwülmetal over Lippoldsberg and Oedelsheim along the Weser one reaches the former Bursfelde Monastery on the Weser.
10a Silberborn - Uslar (19 km)
11a Uslar - Bursfelde (20 km)
10b Silberborn - Schönhagen (14 km)
11b Schönhagen - Lippoldsberg (15 km)
12b Lippoldsberg - Bursfelde (16.4 km)
- Pilgrims' hostel in the Bursfelde monastery. Tel.: 49 151 12 04 07 59, Email: [email protected]. 20 beds, only for pilgrims with a pilgrim pass (available in the monastery). Pre-registration makes sense if you want to make sure that you get a place to sleep. No catering facilities, also no shopping facilities on site. The pilgrims' hostel is unheated..Open: Open from Easter to Reformation Day.Price: 12 € per person / night.
13 Bursfelde - Dransfeld (13.6 km)
- Of Dransfeld from there is one Excursus Göttingen to there Jacobi Church. The path leads in two sections over the disused railway line of the Hanover Southern Railway. Alternatively, the route can be bridged by bus.
- Just behind Dransfeld one reaches the Hohen Hagen. Here is the Gauss tower with the tower cafe. From the tower you have a very nice panoramic view.
13 Excursion Löwenhagen - Kreuzsteine Bühren (7.6 km)
14 Dransfeld - Friedland (24.5 km)
- Early, the bioenergy village can be reached after descending from Hohen Hagen. Here the local community offers one Pilgrim accommodation.
- Mariengarten on a leash
15 Friedland - Heiligenstadt (21 km)
At the small Protestant church in Friedland (Lower Saxony) you get a pilgrim's stamp in front of the entrance. Over the leash and past the sports field, it goes over a ridge to the neighboring village Reiffenhausen, a district of Friedland. The Protestant church and the parish hall act as pilgrims' stations. With a look into the church, which is open to pilgrims during the day, you can admire a special baptism angel. Between Reiffenhausen and Rustenfelde you cross the state border between Lower Saxony and Thuringia and the Heidkopf tunnel of the A38 motorway. At the border there is a small rest area and an information board that explains the former barriers. In Rustenfelde, the pilgrim path turns right before the Catholic village church, but it is worth taking a look inside. Between Rustenfelde and Burgwalde the Bonifatiuskapelle is located on the Brink near Burgwalde, where some benches can be used as resting places for smaller groups. Legend has it that Boniface preached here. This is where the Way of the Cross ends, coming from Burgwalde up the mountain. When descending, you have to decide whether to follow the pilgrim path directly and descend to the right to the country road or take the detour straight on via Burgwalde with the St. George's Church. Via Steinheuterode - first past a large agricultural estate, then through the actual village - and Rengelrode, the pilgrimage route finally reaches Heiligenstadt with the main Protestant church of St. Martin as a stage destination. The landscape of this stage is very varied, as the path leads through deciduous and coniferous forests, open low mountain ranges and a few small towns. Culturally, the many stations of the cross in the street show the centuries-old Catholic character in the Obereichsfeld, as this stretch of land belonged to the Electorate of Mainz until 1802. There are rail connections in Friedland and Heiligenstadt, from Steinheuterode Uder in the Leinetal after 2 km, if you want to shorten the stage. There is also a train stop there and a connection to the for cyclists LeineradwegThere are only places to shop or stop for refreshments directly on the pilgrimage route in Friedland and Heiligenstadt. However, there is a village shop with a café in Reiffenhausen and a restaurant in Burgwalde.
16-17 Heiligenstadt - Mühlhausen
16a Heiligenstadt - Dingelstädt (23 km)
17a Dingelstädt - Mühlhausen (18 km)
16b Heiligenstadt - Beinrode (22.3 km)
17b Beinrode - Mühlhausen (32.5 km)
- Mulhouse - historic old town with completely preserved city fortifications. The old town has some beautiful churches. There is a train connection from Mühlhausen.
18 Mühlhausen - Volkenroda (15 km)
- Volkenroda - is located to the northwest not far from Mühlhausen (see also www.kloster-volkenroda.de).
trips
Incidentally, this route can also be completed by bike in order to enjoy the beautiful low mountain range - but then it is not a classic pilgrimage, but a bicycle pilgrimage. The route leads over unpaved forest and farm roads.
literature
- Guide to the pilgrimage route with maps of the route on a scale of 1: 50000, ISBN 978-3-89435-995-9 ; Price € 12.90
Web links
- www.loccum-volkenroda.de - Official website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hanover on the way
- Article in the time: "The miracle of Volkenroda"
