Marc S.
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Some in Spain, Portugal, Germany and Netherlands
Last autumn I walked the Via Baltica from Swinemunde/Swinoujscie (at the very north eastern point of the German- Polish border) to Bremen. This is app. 600 km. Those wishing for a longer walk can of course start walking the Via Baltica in Lithuania, and walk through Poland. After Bremen, the Via Baltica continues a further 250 km to Munster. From there one can continue walking to Cologne and - eventually - Santiago.
I thoroughly enjoyed walking the Via Baltica. So now, a year later, I decided to get my notes together and write this short report. Maybe it is usefull for those considering walking in Germany.
General outlook
From Swinemunde to Lubeck we walk 400 km through Mecklenburg Vorpommern. This is one of the least populated parts of Germany. The landscape is flat and we are endlessly walking through open fields and, occasionally, forests. One can easily walk for 30 km without any shops or other facilities. In Mecklenburg Vorpommern we only pass one big city (Rostock) and two bigger towns (Greifswald and Wismar), all Hanseatic cities with interesting historic centres. A cultural highlight was the statue of Frank Zappa in the centre of the small spa town of Bad Doberan, near Rostock. Not something I expected to find.
The northern coast of Mecklenburg Vorpommern is touristy, with many seaside towns and beaches. The Via Baltica does not run alongside the sea though, but stays inland. However, if one wishes for a change of scenery, there are several occasions where it only takes a day's walk (or a short bus ride) in the northern direction to get to the coastline.
After 400 km the Via Baltica leaves the former GDR, crossing the former inner border at Hernnburg. After that we enter Lubeck, also a Hanseatic city and definitely worth visiting. From Lubeck onwards the landscape remains flat, but it is getting slightly more populated particularly when passing through the big cities of Hamburg and Bremen.
Practicalities
Waymarking is good, there plenty of yellow arrows and mussels. I never got seriously lost.
There are two guidebooks, both in German, and both are good.
One guidebook is published by Via Baltica Verlag. Via Baltica Verlag (via-baltica-verlag.de)
The other guidebook is published by Conrad Stein Verlag (these are the little yellow books).
Via Baltica Verlag is run by Bernhard Weber, who - during the last 20 years - has been very active in waymarking and promoting the route. On the website, regular updates are published (about accomodation and changing of the routes) and one can also buy a credencial there.
GPS tracks are also available here : Jakobsweg Via Baltica (jakobswege-europa.de)
Finally, there also is quite an active group on Facebook (Pilgern Via Baltica) where people share their recent experiences (in German).
The Via Baltica is one of the more popular pilgrim paths in Germany. This is, of course, all relative compared to the popular routes in Spain. I walked in September, which is supposedly a peak month. However,
during one month of walking, I did not meet another pilgrim - although apparently there were some people walking a couple of days before and after me.
Pilgrim accomodation
There are many Jakobswegen in Germany. On most of them, pilgrim infrastructure is limited. The Via Baltica is (together with for f.e. the Via Regia) is one of the exceptions, as there is plenty of pilgrim accomodation (Herbergen). Between Swinemunde and Munster (850 km) there are app. 95 Herbergen. Many Herbergen are somehow connected to the local church. It can be a room in a vicarage or church building, and it can be a sofa. Most Herbergen are small (max 5 beds). Most have a shower and a kitchen, some do not. Costs are usually between 10 and 20 euro, some are run on a Spende (donativo) basis. In addition, sometimes it is people offering a bed for pilgrims in their house. Like my previous walks in Germany, I was overwhelmed by the hospitality of all those people involved.
When planning to stay in a Herberg it is advisable to phone one day ahead and make some arrangements about your time of arrival. Herbergen are not permanently staffed and are run by volunteers who have other things to do than taking care of pilgrims.So it is not so nice to just turn up and expect to be accomodated. Contact details for the Herbergen can be found in both guidebooks.
I don't know how hard it is to walk this camino when only speaking English. I speak decent German - well at least I like to think so, most Germans find my Dutch accent rather funny. Of course many Germans speak good English but one can not take this for granted, especially in the former East, especially with people over 50. As walking the Via Baltica involves quite some phoning to Herbergen, it may be a challenge when not speaking German.
,
Walking the Via Baltica was a great experience for me. I was looking for quiet and solitude, and I found plenty of it (but I realize this may not be for everyone's liking). Hope this is usefull for some. Marc
I thoroughly enjoyed walking the Via Baltica. So now, a year later, I decided to get my notes together and write this short report. Maybe it is usefull for those considering walking in Germany.
General outlook
From Swinemunde to Lubeck we walk 400 km through Mecklenburg Vorpommern. This is one of the least populated parts of Germany. The landscape is flat and we are endlessly walking through open fields and, occasionally, forests. One can easily walk for 30 km without any shops or other facilities. In Mecklenburg Vorpommern we only pass one big city (Rostock) and two bigger towns (Greifswald and Wismar), all Hanseatic cities with interesting historic centres. A cultural highlight was the statue of Frank Zappa in the centre of the small spa town of Bad Doberan, near Rostock. Not something I expected to find.
The northern coast of Mecklenburg Vorpommern is touristy, with many seaside towns and beaches. The Via Baltica does not run alongside the sea though, but stays inland. However, if one wishes for a change of scenery, there are several occasions where it only takes a day's walk (or a short bus ride) in the northern direction to get to the coastline.
After 400 km the Via Baltica leaves the former GDR, crossing the former inner border at Hernnburg. After that we enter Lubeck, also a Hanseatic city and definitely worth visiting. From Lubeck onwards the landscape remains flat, but it is getting slightly more populated particularly when passing through the big cities of Hamburg and Bremen.
Practicalities
Waymarking is good, there plenty of yellow arrows and mussels. I never got seriously lost.
There are two guidebooks, both in German, and both are good.
One guidebook is published by Via Baltica Verlag. Via Baltica Verlag (via-baltica-verlag.de)
The other guidebook is published by Conrad Stein Verlag (these are the little yellow books).
Via Baltica Verlag is run by Bernhard Weber, who - during the last 20 years - has been very active in waymarking and promoting the route. On the website, regular updates are published (about accomodation and changing of the routes) and one can also buy a credencial there.
GPS tracks are also available here : Jakobsweg Via Baltica (jakobswege-europa.de)
Finally, there also is quite an active group on Facebook (Pilgern Via Baltica) where people share their recent experiences (in German).
The Via Baltica is one of the more popular pilgrim paths in Germany. This is, of course, all relative compared to the popular routes in Spain. I walked in September, which is supposedly a peak month. However,
during one month of walking, I did not meet another pilgrim - although apparently there were some people walking a couple of days before and after me.
Pilgrim accomodation
There are many Jakobswegen in Germany. On most of them, pilgrim infrastructure is limited. The Via Baltica is (together with for f.e. the Via Regia) is one of the exceptions, as there is plenty of pilgrim accomodation (Herbergen). Between Swinemunde and Munster (850 km) there are app. 95 Herbergen. Many Herbergen are somehow connected to the local church. It can be a room in a vicarage or church building, and it can be a sofa. Most Herbergen are small (max 5 beds). Most have a shower and a kitchen, some do not. Costs are usually between 10 and 20 euro, some are run on a Spende (donativo) basis. In addition, sometimes it is people offering a bed for pilgrims in their house. Like my previous walks in Germany, I was overwhelmed by the hospitality of all those people involved.
When planning to stay in a Herberg it is advisable to phone one day ahead and make some arrangements about your time of arrival. Herbergen are not permanently staffed and are run by volunteers who have other things to do than taking care of pilgrims.So it is not so nice to just turn up and expect to be accomodated. Contact details for the Herbergen can be found in both guidebooks.
I don't know how hard it is to walk this camino when only speaking English. I speak decent German - well at least I like to think so, most Germans find my Dutch accent rather funny. Of course many Germans speak good English but one can not take this for granted, especially in the former East, especially with people over 50. As walking the Via Baltica involves quite some phoning to Herbergen, it may be a challenge when not speaking German.
,
Walking the Via Baltica was a great experience for me. I was looking for quiet and solitude, and I found plenty of it (but I realize this may not be for everyone's liking). Hope this is usefull for some. Marc
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