Jakobsweg Brandenburg Nordroute

At a Glance

• Start / Finish: Frankfurt (Oder), Statue of St. James at St. Mary's Church / Bernau near Berlin
• Length: 111.9 km
• Duration: 4–5 days
• Elevation gain: ↗ 429 m / ↘ 386 m
• Stages: 5 (can be done in 4 days; a more relaxed pace in 6 days)
• Route: Frankfurt (Oder) – Sieversdorf – Falkenhagen – Müncheberg – Garzau – Strausberg – Werneuchen – Bernau near Berlin
• Waymarking: Yellow scallop shell on a blue background, not continuous — add GPS track
• Opened: July 4, 2007, in Frankfurt (Oder)
• Connection: in Bernau to the Via Imperii toward Berlin
• Best time: April through October

Overview

The Northern Route is the shorter of the two Oder trails in Brandenburg: 111.9 kilometers from the Statue of St. James at the west portal of St. Mary's Church in Frankfurt (Oder), via the Lebuser Plateau, the town of Müncheberg and the Märkische Schweiz nature park to the almost completely preserved city wall of Bernau near Berlin. Along the way, the building materials of the Ice Age pile up to form churches: Arensdorf, Hasenfelde, Tempelberg, Wesendahl—a series of 13th-century fieldstone structures, interspersed with a pyramid that no one expects to see and a lake crossed by Germany’s last overhead-line ferry.

Four to five days, 429 meters of elevation gain, a train station at practically every stop along the way: As a trial run for a pilgrimage, this route is hard to beat. And it’s more than just a practice run—the route was reconstructed starting in 2005 by the European University Viadrina based on medieval sources and officially opened in 2007. In Bernau, it connects to the Via Imperii, the old imperial road to Berlin and Leipzig; those who wish can simply continue their pilgrimage from here.

Other Names

The operator simply calls this trail Northern Route (Frankfurt – Bernau) — unlike the Brandenburg Südroute, which begins at the same statue and leads through Berlin to the Elbe River. The “Gangbar” pilgrimage project refers to this section as The Way of St. James east of the Oder River, the short form of the original project name “St. James’ Ways East and West of the Oder.” On maps and travel websites, you’ll usually find it listed by its waypoints: Frankfurt (Oder) – Müncheberg – Strausberg – Bernau.

The research volume that put both Brandenburg Oder routes back on the map is titled “On the Way of St. James Through Brandenburg: From the Oder to Berlin” (2009). On the Polish side, the route continues as Lubuska Droga św. Jakuba. Don't confuse the northern route with the Via Imperii, which runs from Szczecin to Berlin and passes through Bernau—the two meet there, but they are two different routes.

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

If this is your first pilgrimage or you have exactly one week, this is almost the perfect way to start: 111.9 kilometers in four to five days, 429 meters of total elevation gain, fieldstone churches every half hour—and a train station at practically every stop along the way. You can hop off and back on at any time, and if your feet give out on the third day, you’ll be back in Berlin in an hour. For weekend pilgrims, those returning to the Camino, and anyone who wants to try it out before booking a four-week trip to Spain, this is a truly honest option.

To be honest, though, it’s not for you if you’re looking for dramatic scenery. “Märkische Schweiz” is pretty, but it’s called that because the rest of Brandenburg is even flatter: no distant views, little shade along the field stretches, and plenty of asphalt and concrete slabs underfoot. And there’s no pilgrim infrastructure in the Spanish sense—just a single real pilgrim hostel along the entire route, no pilgrim meals, and usually no fellow pilgrims. If you’re looking for Camino camaraderie, you won’t find it here. If you’re looking for peace and quiet, though, you’ll find plenty.

Route & Landscape

You'll start at the Oder River, at the statue of St. James at the west portal of St. Mary's, the largest church of the North German Brick Gothic style. The path leads out onto the Lebuser Plateau: farmland, tree-lined avenues, pine forests—and in almost every village, a 13th-century fieldstone church: Arensdorf, Hasenfelde, Tempelberg, later Wesendahl. This is no coincidence, but rather a result of geology: The Ice Age left boulders here, and the settlers stacked them to build churches. In Falkenhagen there is a particularly beautiful early Gothic church.

Beyond Müncheberg — the Cistercian foundation first mentioned in a document in 1232 — the landscape becomes more dynamic: The Märkische Schweiz nature park is Brandenburg's answer to a low mountain range: terminal moraine, beech forest, and kettle lakes. In Garzau, Germany's largest fieldstone pyramid suddenly rises out of the forest. After that, you'll reach Strausberg on the elongated Straussee, cross the open Barnimer Feldmark to Werneuchen and come via Börnicke, with its pilgrim silhouette, to Bernau, where the medieval city wall marks the end of the path.

Stages, Terrain & Difficulty

Five stages, averaging 22 kilometers each, technically undemanding: no climb worth the name, no section requiring sure-footedness. Only two days are challenging—the first, covering just under 28 kilometers, and the third, covering 31.5 kilometers through Märkische Schweiz; both can be split, with Day 1 ending in Sieversdorf (where the pilgrim hostel is located) and Day 3 ending in Garzau. The real challenge is the terrain: plenty of asphalt and concrete slabs on the farm roads, plus sandy sections in the pine forest. Wear cushioned shoes instead of stiff hiking boots—and be sure to bring water, because Brandenburg is the driest region in Germany.

1. Frankfurt (Oder) → Falkenhagen (Mark) (27.7 km) — Start at the statue of St. James at the west portal of St. Mary’s Church, passing through Sieversdorf and past the fieldstone churches in Arensdorf and Hasenfelde; if you’d like to take it easier, stop in Sieversdorf.
2. Falkenhagen → Müncheberg (22.0 km) — through a pine forest and via Tempelberg into the town, which was first mentioned in a document in 1232.
3. Müncheberg → Strausberg (31.5 km) — the long stage through Märkische Schweiz, past the Garzau fieldstone pyramid, down to Lake Straussee; can be split at Garzau.
4. Strausberg → Werneuchen (14.3 km) — a short leg across the open Barnim countryside, lots of sky, little shade.
5. Werneuchen → Bernau near Berlin (16.4 km) — via Wesendahl and Börnicke, with its pilgrim silhouette, to the almost completely preserved city wall of Bernau.

If you only have four days, combine Stages 4 and 5: Strausberg → Bernau, 30.7 km. The stage destinations are those set by the operator; its seven short stages (totaling about 117 km) were calibrated to the DB route’s length of 111.9 km and grouped into five daily stages.

The Year the Hussites Arrived

A single year of war is linked to this path at both ends. In 1432 the Hussites march through the Mark: Müncheberg is destroyed — the town whose gate tower you pass through on the second day was rebuilt afterwards. At Bernau, however, they fail on April 23, 1432, and two legends explain how the city is said to have managed this: The citizens poured hot brewer’s spent grain from the city walls—or they placed beer barrels laced with datura in front of the besiegers and disarmed the drunken attackers. Both are legends, but the essence remains clear: In the 15th century, beer was brewed in 144 of 310 houses in Bernau. The city thrived on beer, and it continues to celebrate its victory to this day—at the annual Hussite Festival, which will mark its 32nd edition in 2026.

A second story links the destination of this path with the town beyond it. The provost Nikolaus von Bernau was beaten to death and burned by an angry mob in Berlin in 1324/25—whereupon the bishop imposed the Interdict on Berlin: For twenty years, there were no Masses, no baptisms, and no church funerals. It wasn’t until 1347 that the matter was formally settled; the stone cross of atonement from 1335 still stands today next to the entrance of Berlin’s St. Mary’s Church. The man bore the name of the place where your journey ends, and he died in the city to which your path leads.

The fact that you can experience these stories today is not thanks to a tourism campaign, but to a seminar room: Beginning in 2005, the medieval historian Ulrich Knefelkamp and students from the European University Viadrina reconstructed the historic route from charters and material evidence—including the Jakobihospital in Frankfurt from 1454. The route was inaugurated on July 4, 2007, and the university continues to make the pilgrimage to this day: Under the name “ViaPilgern,” students regularly invite others to join them on hikes along their Way of St. James.

Highlights Along the Way

• St. Mary's, Frankfurt (Oder)— the largest church in the North German Brick Gothic style, founded around 1253; at the west portal stands the statue of St. James, where your journey begins.
• Orgelwerkstatt Sieversdorf Pilgrim Hostel— the only real pilgrim lodging along the route: dormitory-style accommodations in exchange for a voluntary donation.
• Fieldstone Churches in Arensdorf, Hasenfelde, Tempelberg, and Wesendahl— 13th-century village churches, built from materials left behind by the Ice Age; plus the early Gothic fieldstone church in Falkenhagen.
• Müncheberg— Founded in 1225 by Cistercian monks from Leubus; first mentioned in a document in 1232; from 1319 onward, it had city walls and the Stork Tower; destroyed by the Hussites in 1432 and subsequently rebuilt.
• Märkische Schweiz Nature Park— Terminal moraines, beech forests, and kettle lakes: the part of Brandenburg that looks the least like Brandenburg.
• Garzau Fieldstone Pyramid— Built in 1784 for Count von Schmettau, 13.80 meters high, the largest of its kind in Germany; rediscovered in 1999 and restored by 2010.
• Lily Trail— A 14-kilometer loop hike past four Cistercian village churches in Zinndorf, Rehfelde, Garzau, and Werder, 70 percent of which runs through forests and meadows.
• Straussee and the Straussee Ferry— A 370-meter crossing in seven minutes on Germany's only overhead-line ferry, built in 1967.
• Börnicke— the silhouette of a pilgrim by the side of the path, just before reaching the destination.
• Bernau near Berlin— a city wall that is almost entirely preserved, featuring a stone gate and the Hunger Tower; also, the Bauhaus Federal School, built from 1928 to 1930, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2017.

How Pilgrims Find Their Way onto This Path

The historic feeder route comes from Poland: the Lubuska Droga św. Jakuba ends in Słubice, directly across from Frankfurt (Oder)—you cross the Oder Bridge and, a few minutes later, find yourself standing in front of the statue of St. James. This route stretches about 250 kilometers in twelve stages from Murowana Goślina near Poznań, and it is no chance neighbor: Both halves were created between 2005 and 2007 as part of the same cross-border project. Those coming from further east can reach it via the Greater Poland trails and the Camino Polaco, which runs from Lithuania through Olsztyn and Toruń to Gniezno.

There is a second practical access route from the north: The Via Imperii runs from Szczecin through Angermünde and Eberswalde to Bernau—those who have walked it use the northern route in the opposite direction as a path to the Oder. And the Brandenburg Südroute starts at the same statue as this route: If you want to do both, start here and switch routes later in Berlin.

Continue the pilgrimage?

Bernau is a junction, not an endpoint. The town lies on the Via Imperii, the old imperial highway from Szczecin through Berlin and Leipzig to Nuremberg: Its final northern leg takes you about 30 kilometers to Berlin-Mitte, with the southern branch continuing via Wittenberg to Leipzig, where the Via Regia intersects with it and opens up the route to the west. A word of caution: The operator points out that the Via Imperii isn't signposted throughout—and starting from Bernau, this is especially true: Be sure to download the GPS track.

The other option stays within the Brandenburg network: In Berlin, you can reach the corridor of the Brandenburg Südroute, which runs through Teltow, Potsdam, and Brandenburg an der Havel to Tangermünde on the Elbe; there, the Jakobsweg Sachsen-Anhalt takes over through Magdeburg and the Harz Mountains to Eckartsberga—and once again, the Via Regia awaits. From there on, Santiago is a matter of endurance: via the Via Podiensis from Le Puy to the Camino Francés.

Preparation & Practical Information

The season runs from April through October; May and September are the best months. Brandenburg is the driest region in Germany: In midsummer, this means plenty of sun, little shade along the Feldmark stages, and long stretches without drinking water—carrying two liters in your backpack is not an overreaction. You’ll need to rethink your accommodations: There’s exactly one real pilgrim hostel along the route: the Orgelwerkstatt in Sieversdorf, offering mattress-only accommodation for a donation. Otherwise, there are guesthouses, inns, and vacation rentals in Müncheberg, Strausberg, Werneuchen, and Bernau—be sure to book in advance; the easiest way is directly through the Camino Ninja app, where you can plan your stages and accommodations all at once.

Don't rely solely on the scallop shell: The operator admits that the Brandenburg network isn't consistently signposted everywhere. A GPX track and a PDF with route descriptions are available for free from the operator—download them before you set out. You should carry a pilgrim passport, even though people here rarely ask for it: It’s your pilgrimage log, and you’ll need it for the Compostela anyway. The association issues the European Credencial as well as Brandenburg pilgrim passes for adults and children; you can get stamps at churches and tourist information offices.

What the journey will cost you

Expect 45 to 75 euros per day (as of September 2026). Lodging is the biggest expense: guesthouses and inns in Müncheberg, Strausberg, and Werneuchen typically cost between 45 and 70 euros, while in Bernau—already halfway into Berlin’s affluent suburbs—prices tend to range from 60 to 90. There’s exactly one place where prices go down, but significantly: the dormitory at the Orgelwerkstatt Sieversdorf accepts a voluntary donation (as of September 2026).

Food and drink are inexpensive: supermarkets in all stopover towns, bakeries in most villages—if you bring your own food, 12 to 18 euros a day; if you have dinner at an inn, closer to 30. Plus a one-time fee for the pilgrim’s passport. Since the entire route is covered by the VBB fare zone, taking shortcuts by train costs only a few euros; only the Straussee ferry has its own fare structure—not even the Deutschlandticket is valid there.

Getting Here

To the start: The RE1 runs from Berlin Central Station to Frankfurt (Oder) in about 70 minutes, with frequent departures during the day. From the Polish side, you can walk there: Słubice is right across the river, and it’s less than twenty minutes across the Oder Bridge to the statue of St. James; there’s a train connection toward Poznań from Rzepin.

From the destination: Bernau is the terminus of the S2 line and is also served by the RE3 — 25 to 35 minutes to Berlin Hauptbahnhof. All intermediate destinations also have rail connections: Müncheberg and Werneuchen are served by regional rail lines, and Strausberg is also served by the S5. This makes this route one of the easiest St. James’ Ways in Germany to break down into daily stages.

• Rail: bahn.de— RE1 Berlin ↔ Frankfurt (Oder), S2/RE3 Berlin ↔ Bernau
• VBB fare zone: vbb.de— the entire route is within the transit network
• Airport: BER Berlin-Brandenburg: Take the S-Bahn or RE to Berlin, then continue on the RE1