Brittaweg

At a Glance

• Start / Finish: Sassnitz (Rügen) / Rekentin near Tribsees
• Length: 114.8 km
• Duration: 4–5 days
• Elevation gain: ↗ 464 m / ↘ 486 m
• Stages: 5 (can be done as a challenging 4-day hike)
• Marking: White Birgittenkreuz on a scallop shell, with yellow arrows
• Operator: Ecumenical Pilgrimage Initiative of Vorpommern, Inc., and the Nordkirche
• Opened: April 2013 in Stralsund
• Connection: in Rekentin to the Via Baltica
• Best time: May through September

Overview

The Brittaweg revolves around a single woman and a single journey: in 1341, Birgitta of Sweden and her husband Ulf arrived by ship from Kalmar in Stralsund and continued on foot from there—all the way to Santiago de Compostela. The modern route retraces the beginning of this journey in Western Pomerania: 114.8 kilometers from Sassnitz along the edge of Jasmund National Park, through the center of Rügen, across the old Rügendamm, and through the brick-lined old town of Stralsund to Rekentin near Tribsees. Two UNESCO sites in five daily stages, and the highest point is 88 meters.

It is a path for people who not only tolerate silence but seek it out: In 2024, one pilgrim counted exactly one other pilgrim over the course of five days. Along the way, there are churches that have been open since the 13th century, three monastic histories, and at the end, no finish line, but rather a handoff—in Rekentin, the next leg of the Via Baltica begins, heading west. Birgitta herself walked some 3,000 more kilometers from here.

Other Names

Our map shows Brittaweg — the short form. Officially, it's called The Pilgrimage Route of Saint Birgitta, usually shortened to Birgittaweg, occasionally spelled Birgittenweg or Brigittaweg; in Swedish Birgittavägen. This always refers to the same woman: Birgitta Birgersdotter, born in 1303 in Finsta, died in 1373 in Rome, canonized in 1391, and patron saint of Europe since 1999.

Important to note: The entire route under this name is significantly longer—about 310 to 400 kilometers—and extends via Güstrow and Schwerin to Lauenburg an der Elbe. This page describes its northern section in Western Pomerania, from Sassnitz to Rekentin—precisely the section for which a separate pilgrim’s guide was published in 2013.

Who It's Ideal For—and Who It's Not So Ideal For

This route is for you if you enjoy wide-open spaces and can handle the silence: 464 meters of elevation gain over 115 kilometers means lagoons, fields, and tree-lined avenues instead of mountains. You’ll pass brick churches that have stood since the 13th century, two UNESCO sites, and three historic monasteries—and often have no one else around you along the way. If that appeals to you rather than daunts you, this is the place for you.

To be honest, though, it's not the place for you if you're looking for the typical Camino atmosphere: no continuous chain of hostels, no pilgrim meals, no evening bustle. On the Sassnitz–Stralsund section, 46 percent of the route is asphalt — 36.5 of 79 kilometers. And the trail markers aren’t always easy to spot: the shell logo is “sometimes hard to find,” writes a pilgrim in the Nordkirche’s travel report. You shouldn’t set out here without a GPX track or route description—you plan for such gaps in advance, not while you’re on the trail.

Route & Landscape

You'll start in Sassnitz at the ferry terminal, just south of the Jasmund National Park — Germany's smallest national park, whose ancient beech forests have been a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site since 2011. The trail immediately turns south: across the narrow isthmus near Lietzow and Ralswiek to Bergen on Rügen, the island's capital, continuing on to Garz, the island's oldest town, and via Poseritz and Gustow to the south shore, to Altefähr, where Stralsund lies just across the water.

Crossing the Strelasund is a masterpiece of modesty: The 4,100-meter-long Rügenbrücke, built in 2007, is exclusively for cars—you walk across the old Rügendamm from 1936, literally passing right under the prestigious structure. After that, the landscape changes completely: instead of the Bodden and the coast, you enter the West Pomeranian hinterland with its fields, tree-lined avenues, and villages where the church is the tallest building — Steinhagen, Franzburg, and finally the little Rekentin near Tribsees.

Stages, Terrain & Difficulty

The best way to cover the 114.8 kilometers is to divide it into five stages, following the towns with pilgrim lodging. The challenge here isn’t the elevation—the highest point is 88 meters—but rather the long days and the hard surfaces. If you’re a good walker, you can combine stages 2 and 3 into a single 44-kilometer stage on Rügen and complete the route in four days.

1. Sassnitz → Bergen on Rügen (28.5 km) — From the ferry terminal southward through Neu Mukran, Lietzow, and Ralswiek. The longest stage comes first, and Rügen’s oldest brick building awaits at the end.
2. Bergen on Rügen → Garz (20.0 km) — Across the flat ridge of the island, through fields and tree-lined avenues, to Rügen’s oldest town; short enough for a detour to the pilgrimage site of Zudar.
3. Garz → Altefähr (24.0 km) — Via Poseritz and Gustow along the south shore, with a view of the towers of Stralsund. Stamp at St. Nikolai Altefähr.
4. Altefähr → Steinhagen (22.0 km) — Across the old Rügendamm to Stralsund, through the World Heritage Old Town, past St. Jakobi, and out into the countryside.
5. Steinhagen → Rekentin (20.3 km) — Via Franzburg, with the remains of the Neuenkamp monastery church, to the Via Baltica trail junction.

One woman, one journey, one route

This route is based on exactly one documented journey, and it's quite the adventure: in 1341, Birgitta Birgersdotter and her husband Ulf, the district judge of Närke, made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela—they traveled “from Kalmar to Stralsund and from there set out on the arduous overland journey to northern Spain.” Shell grave finds, hospice records, tolls along the route? None to be found, and the route makes no such claims either. What it does have is the chain of churches of this landing: St. Jakobi in Stralsund, first mentioned in 1303, the only church dedicated to St. James along the route—and an island that was itself a pilgrimage destination in the Middle Ages: before 1370, a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary drew pilgrims from all over northern Germany to Zudar on Rügen; “Two trips to Zudar = one to Rome,” was the saying. In 1372, a pilgrim ship capsized in a storm; about 90 people drowned, and the indulgence was revoked—marking the end of the Rügen pilgrimage, a generation before the Reformation.

Birgitta's own trail in Stralsund lasted longer: in 1421, following a citizens' initiative, the council of the Hanseatic city founded a Birgittine convent — a double monastery for nuns and monks, as prescribed by St. Birgitta’s Rule, staffed from Marienwolde near Mölln. In 1525 it was dissolved in the Stralsund iconoclastic riot (Kirchenbrechen); in 1554 its stones were carted off to build fortifications, and in 1560 the last nun died. All that remains is a street sign: Mariakronstraße. Only in 1956 did archaeologists rediscover the chapel's foundations.

The revival began at the grave: in 2011, a group of pilgrims from Western Pomerania stood before Birgitta's relics in Vadstena and decided to establish the route along which she had arrived; in April 2013 the Birgittaweg was opened in Stralsund and has since been marked with the white Birgittenkreuz on the scallop shell. The bitter irony came later: Birgitta arrived by ship from Sweden—but since autumn 2024 there have been no ferries from Sassnitz to Sweden; both routes have been discontinued. The route begins at a harbor where pilgrims no longer disembark. It is still walked—only now pilgrims arrive from the south.

Highlights Along the Way

• Jasmund National Park — Germany’s smallest national park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site since 2011. The Königsstuhl (118 m above the beach), however, is located north of Sassnitz: a half-day detour, not a stop on the itinerary.
• St. Mary's and Bergen Abbey — Brick building dating from 1170/80; in 1193, Prince Jaromar I founded the monastery next to it. A cultural center since 2005.
• Garz — the oldest town on Rügen, first mentioned in historical records in 1319; the spire of St. Petri was destroyed by a storm around 1648 and was never replaced.
• St. Laurentius Zudar — Rügen’s southernmost church, a pilgrimage site until 1372 featuring a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary (a detour from Garz).
• Rügendamm — the pedestrian crossing over the Strelasund from 1936, in the shadow of the 2007 car bridge.
• Stralsund Old Town — Since 2002, together with Wismar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with brick Gothic at every turn.
• St. Jakobi, Stralsund — First mentioned in 1303; 68-meter tower; severely damaged in 1944; today a cultural church; the large Baroque bells have been ringing again since 2019.
• Mariakronstraße, Stralsund — a street name that is the last remnant of the Birgittine convent from 1421; its foundations were not discovered until 1956.
• Steinhagen Village Church — First mentioned in 1283; frescoes from around 1380; open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; next door is an orchard with 70 heirloom apple varieties.
• Franzburg — All that remains of the Cistercian monastery at Neuenkamp (1231), with its 90-meter-long church, is a single transept. It serves as the parish church today.

How Pilgrims Find Their Way onto This Path

Historically, the situation was clear: Birgitta arrived by ship from Sweden, and Sassnitz was intended to be the German port of entry for pilgrims from the north. Since the fall of 2024, however, this plan has fallen through—both ferry services from Sassnitz to Sweden have been suspended. Today, travelers from Scandinavia take the ferry to Rostock or Świnoujście and continue their journey by train.

Coming from Germany, the most important feeder route is the Via Baltica, the North German Way of St. James from Usedom to Bremen: It runs through Greifswald directly to Stralsund and meets the Brittaweg there—those coming from the south or east start in Stralsund and walk the Rügen stages as the northern loop. A second connection to the northern German network is the Baltisch-Mitteldeutsche Weg, which takes pilgrims from central Germany to the Baltic Sea. Without any pilgrimage route at all, the fastest way to get there is by train: Sassnitz is the terminus of the line that runs from Stralsund via Bergen.

Continue the pilgrimage?

Brittaweg ends at Rekentin, a village with no church, no train station, and no hostel. That sounds like a strange conclusion, but it’s the only logical one: Rekentin is a stage junction of the Via Baltica — its fourth stage from Stralsund ends there, and its fifth begins there, passing through Tribsees and Bad Sülze on the way to Kölzow. The trail doesn’t end here; it is handed over: Those who keep going are on the Way of St. James toward Rostock, Lübeck, Hamburg, and Bremen.

Two more extensions are still open to exploration. The Birgittaweg itself continues from Tribsees through Güstrow, the Tempzin pilgrimage monastery, and Schwerin to Roseburg near Lauenburg—a total of about 400 kilometers—where it joins the Via Scandinavica. And anyone heading south from the coast takes the Baltisch-Mitteldeutsche Weg. If you're interested in the ultimate destination: Birgitta actually arrived in Santiago in 1341/42—from here she walked some 3,000 more kilometers.

Preparation & Practical Information

The best time is May through September. The trail is accessible year-round, but lodging in community centers and open village churches is available only in the summer. Pilgrim lodgings are available in Sassnitz, Bergen, Altefähr, Stralsund, and Franzburg, plus guesthouses and private rooms in Garz, Poseritz, and Richtenberg. Bring a sleeping bag and sleeping pad — many lodgings are simple community rooms. And be sure to book in advance: In villages with only one address, a cancellation means the end of your plans for the day.

What you need is the Pilgrim's Passport: It is required for pilgrim lodging and can be purchased through the Altefähr parish office for 8 euros (plus 2 euros for shipping); you’ll find stamp stations at St. Nikolai in Altefähr and at the Heilig-Kreuz-Kapelle Bessin, among other places. One thing needs to be clarified: The Brittaweg is marked with the scallop shell and serves as a link between the Way of St. James and the Northern European Olav Routes—but you still won't get a Compostela for it; Santiago only awards it for the last 100 kilometers in Spain. What you collect here is the prologue.

Don't rely solely on the markings: The white Birgittenkreuz on the shell has been in place since 2013, but it isn't continuous throughout the countryside. The Nordkirche provides GPX tracks—be sure to download them. The easiest way to plan your stages and find suitable accommodations is directly in the Camino Ninja app.

What the journey will cost you

The Brittaweg is one of the most affordable pilgrimage routes in Germany—simply because there is no “pilgrimage industry.” Pilgrim lodging typically costs 10 to 20 euros per night; community centers often operate on a donation basis ranging from 6 to 15 euros; the pilgrim pass costs a one-time fee of 8 euros (as of September 2026). Where there is no pilgrim lodging, you’ll pay guesthouse rates—on Rügen, these are significantly higher during peak season than in May.

You'll need to bring your own food: There are stretches between Bergen and Stralsund where there are no stores or restaurants. You can get by on 35 to 55 euros a day if you stay at pilgrim hostels and do your own grocery shopping; in Stralsund and on Rügen during peak season, it’s more like 70 to 90 euros. Five days on the Brittaweg thus cost less than a week’s vacation on the Baltic Sea in the same area—with two World Heritage sites on foot included.

Getting Here

To the start: You can reach Sassnitz by train via Stralsund and Bergen — long-distance service to Stralsund, then transfer to a regional train there. By car, the B96 leads directly to Sassnitz. As of fall 2024, travel by ship is no longer possible: both ferry services to Sweden from Sassnitz have been discontinued; alternatives depart from Rostock and Świnoujście.

From the finish: There's no train station in Rekentin. You'll have to walk the last few kilometers to Tribsees or take the bus; from there, buses run to Stralsund, and the nearest train connection is in Bad Sülze or Stralsund. If you're continuing on the Via Baltica anyway, you won't have to worry about the return trip—the next leg begins right in Rekentin.

• Rail: Long-distance service to Stralsund, then on by regional train to Bergen and Sassnitz — bahn.de
• Flight: The nearest airports are Rostock-Laage and Hamburg, both of which have rail connections to Stralsund
• Car: Take the B96 to Sassnitz; return from the destination by bus via Tribsees
• Ferry: No more ferry service to Sweden from Sassnitz (as of September 2026); alternatives from Rostock or Świnoujście