Partner
Stiftung Haus St. Jakobus – Schwäbische Jakobusgesellschaft
The Stiftung Haus St. Jakobus in Oberdischingen near Ulm: pilgrim hostel, spiritual education centre and, since 2023, the body behind two Caminos that meet at the St James fountain outside its door.
The Caminos on the map
Caminos of this partner
Oberschwäbischer JakobswegThe Oberschwäbischer Jakobsweg, the Upper Swabian Way of St. James, runs 167.6 kilometers from Münsterplatz in Ulm on the Danube to Konstanz Minster on Lake Constance. Along the way lie the shared church of Biberach, the pilgrimage church of Steinhausen, the basilica of Weingarten and the towers of Ravensburg, much of it following the Upper Swabian Baroque Route. Eight stages, 2,232 meters of climbing, a high point of 661 meters between Oberessendorf and Bad Waldsee, and at the end the car ferry from Meersburg to Konstanz. The route was waymarked in 1996 and 1997; in Konstanz the Via Jacobi takes over.Explore this Camino- Ansbacher Jakobsweg211.9 km from Weihenzell via Ansbach to Oberdischingen: through two former imperial cities, over the Ostalb between the springs of the Kocher and the Brenz, past monasteries to Ulm Minster – the "Nordroute" (northern route) of the Schwäbische Jakobusgesellschaft.Explore this Camino
Who is behind the routes
The Stiftung Haus St. Jakobus – Schwäbische Jakobusgesellschaft has run Haus St. Jakobus in Oberdischingen, a Baroque village on the Danube south-west of Ulm, since 2000. The house was built in 1794 next to the pilgrimage chapel "Zur Heiligsten Dreifaltigkeit" and served as a Franciscan hospice, a tenement and a Carmelite convent before passing to the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart in 1961. Since 1986 it has been under the patronage of St James.
Today it is a pilgrim hostel, a spiritual education centre and a meeting point for pilgrim companions, run by volunteer teams and a few staff. Since 2023 the society has also been responsible for two Caminos, each with its own trail-maintenance team. Both meet at its door: at the Jakobusbrunnen (St James fountain) the "Nordroute" from Franconia ends and the "Südroute" to Lake Constance begins.
The society's routes
- Ansbacher Jakobsweg – the "Nordroute": 211.9 km from St James's Church in Weihenzell via Ansbach, Feuchtwangen, Dinkelsbühl, Ellwangen, Unterkochen, Heidenheim, Langenau and Ulm to Oberdischingen, in nine stages; researched from 2006, waymarked and blessed in 2018
- Oberschwäbischer Jakobsweg – the "Südroute": 167.6 km from Ulm Minster via Oberdischingen, Biberach, Bad Waldsee, Weingarten and by ferry across Lake Constance to Constance Minster
The last stage of the Nordroute is also the first of the Südroute: from Ulm to Oberdischingen both routes run together. If you start in Weihenzell, you can walk without a break all the way to Lake Constance.
What the society does for pilgrims
The house issues the pilgrim passport, offers pilgrim beds and publishes accommodation lists for both routes, and for the Nordroute also a pilgrim guide and a separate guide for cycling pilgrims. In a three-module course it trains pilgrim companions. There are also retreats, talks, film evenings and the Cursillo faith group. The trail-maintenance teams look after waymarking and the state of the paths and welcome new volunteers.
Contact and getting involved
The foundation is based at Kapellenberg 58–60, 89610 Oberdischingen. You can reach it by email at info@haus-st-jakobus.de or by phone on +49 7305 919575. Pilgrim passport, accommodation and dates are on haus-st-jakobus.de. A house where two Caminos shake hands.