Discover walking as a way
to disconnect from everyday life - off the public road through forest, field
and heath, finding back to yourself and peace in nature. Focusing your thoughts
while looking outwards...
A pilgrimage is a
special way of hiking. It is praying with your feet, discovering deceleration
and experiencing a different kind of purpose. The Way of St. James through Lueneburg
Heath reveals ways to enjoy the tranquility of nature on a pilgrimage and to
find your way back to yourself.
In 2000, more than
50 pilgrimage signs were discovered in Lueneburg Heath. They became the
foundations for the development of the Way of St. James in Lueneburg Heath.
The Way of St.
James is comparable to its counterpart in Spain in that the marked trails in Lueneburg
Heath lead you to places where you can find peace and tranquillity such as the
monasteries Walsrode, Wienhausen, Lune and Mariensee. Numerous smaller,
historic stone churches invite you to engage in contemplation on your pilgrimage.
The Way of St.
James on Lueneburg Heath is about 390 kilometres long. It starts at the pilgrim
church St. Jacobi in Hamburg. From here, the pilgrimage route leads through
Seevetal and Lueneburg Heath nature park to the heathlands of Hanstedt,
Undeloh, Wilsede, Niederhaverbeck, Schneverdingen and Soltau. In Soltau, the Way
of St. James through Lueneburg Heath splits into two routes.
One leads past Cloister Walsrode and through the Aller-Leine valley to Cloister Mariensee. The
second path leads you through the 480 km² nature park Suedheide and the
mission location at Hermannsburg. The path continues via Eschede to the former
Cistercian monastery Wienhausen and the royal city of Celle with the Duke’s Castle, then on through the Aller valley to Cloister Mariensee. The two paths converge
again in Mandelsloh, about 10 km before reaching Cloister Mariensee.