Pilgrim Routes & Caminos

Way of St Augustine

Augustine Camino

Birgittaleden (Birgitta Trail)

Böhmerweg (Bohemian Road to Mariazell)

For centuries, pilgrims from Bohemia and Moravia followed the *Böhmerweg*—the Bohemian Road—southward through the Waldviertel to reach Mariazell, Austria's national Marian shrine. This historic trade route, known in early documents as the "Behmer-Strass," connected the Czech lands with the alpine pilgrimage center that drew faithful from across the Habsburg Empire. The route passed through Maria Dreieichen on the Manhartsberg ridge, where a furrier named Matthias Weinberger placed a pietà at a three-stemmed oak in 1656—deliberately choosing a spot along this pilgrim thoroughfare. The shrine that grew there became a natural stopping point for Bohemian and Moravian pilgrims making the long journey to the *Magna Mater Austriae*. ## 📜 Historical Background Mariazell's connection to Bohemia and Moravia dates to the shrine's earliest expansion. According to tradition, Henry Margrave of Moravia and his wife were healed of severe illness through the intercession of Our Lady of Mariazell around 1200, and in gratitude they financed the construction of the first stone church. This Moravian connection established pilgrimage routes from the Czech lands that would flourish for eight centuries. By the sixteenth century, pilgrims from Bohemia, Moravia, Bavaria, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, and Slovenia were making regular journeys to Mariazell. The Bohemian Road through the Waldviertel offered northern pilgrims a route across the Danube and into the alpine foothills. Towns along the way—Horn, Maria Dreieichen, and others—developed infrastructure to serve these travelers: inns, chapels, and wayside shrines. The Counter-Reformation intensified pilgrimage traffic in the seventeenth century. The Habsburgs promoted Mariazell as a national shrine, and the route from Bohemia and Moravia brought thousands of pilgrims annually through Lower Austria. Maria Dreieichen's establishment in 1656 directly served this pilgrim traffic, providing a Marian devotional site along the traditional road. Emperor Joseph II's 1784 pilgrimage restrictions temporarily suppressed the tradition, but devotion revived in the nineteenth century. After 1945, the expulsion of German-speaking populations from Czechoslovakia transformed the route's meaning: former Sudeten communities now gather annually at Maria Dreieichen, maintaining a connection to the historic pilgrimage geography even as political borders have changed. ## 🥾 Route Character Unlike the Via Sacra from Vienna—Austria's oldest waymarked pilgrimage path—the Böhmerweg was never formally designated as a single pilgrimage route. Rather, it followed existing trade roads that medieval and early modern pilgrims used to travel from Bohemian and Moravian towns toward Mariazell. The general corridor led from the Czech border region through the Waldviertel's rolling granite landscape, passing through Horn and Maria Dreieichen before continuing south. Pilgrims would cross the Danube and eventually join routes leading into the Styrian Alps toward Mariazell. Today, no unified waymarked trail recreates the historic Böhmerweg as a pilgrimage path. However, sections of the old route can be traced through regional hiking networks, and Maria Dreieichen remains accessible as a pilgrimage destination along the historic corridor. ## ☩ Key Sites Along the Historic Route **Maria Dreieichen** — The baroque basilica established in 1656 specifically to serve pilgrims on the Bohemian Road. The twin towers are visible for miles across the Waldviertel. Pilgrims venerate the Sorrowful Mother and visit the healing spring at the Bründlkapelle. **Horn** — The nearest town to Maria Dreieichen, where the furrier Matthias Weinberger lived before his vision. The town served as a staging point for pilgrims. **Mariazell** — The ultimate destination, where the *Magna Mater Austriae* has drawn pilgrims since the twelfth century. The Gothic-Baroque basilica houses the miraculous lime-wood Madonna. ## 📚 Further Reading [Basilika Maria Dreieichen](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilika_Maria_Dreieichen) — German Wikipedia article documenting the shrine's foundation along the "Behmer-Strass." (*Wikipedia*) [The Significance of the Mariazell Pilgrimage Basilica](https://www.basilika-mariazell.at/site/en/info) — Official Mariazell history noting pilgrims from Bohemia among the earliest international visitors. (*Basilika Mariazell*) ## 🔗 Useful Links [Mariazell Pilgrimage Routes](https://www.mariazellerwege.at/) — Overview of modern pilgrimage paths to Mariazell, including routes from various Austrian regions. (German) [Pfarre Maria Dreieichen](https://www.stift-altenburg.at/pfarren/pfarre-maria-dreieichen/) — Parish website for Maria Dreieichen, a key waypoint on the historic Bohemian pilgrim road.

Camin del Oriente

Caminho da Fé

Camino de los Santuarios

Camino del Norte

Camino Inglés

Camino Lebaniego

Camino Lituano

Camino Primitivo

Cammino di Oropa

Cammino di San Benedetto

Chemin du piémont pyrénéen

Cistercian Way (Wales)

Useful links [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cistercian_Way_(Wales)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cistercian_Way_(Wales))

Cyril and Methodius Route

GR-105 Ruta de las Peregrinaciones

Hoch & Heilig Pilgerweg

Jakobsweg Austria (Way of St. James)

The Austrian section of the Way of St. James runs from Wolfsthal on the Austrian-Slovakian border along the Danube to Linz, Salzburg, then through Tyrol and over the Arlberg to Feldkirch in Vorarlberg. The SalzburgerLand section spans approximately 100 km through the Salzburg Lake District, passing Maria Plain, through Salzburg city, via Unken and Lofer toward Tyrol.

Jerusalem Way (Jerusalemweg)

The world's longest peace and pilgrimage route, spanning approximately 8,500 km from Finisterre in Spain to Jerusalem. The Austrian section covers 860 km through 35 stages, passing through Salzburg and the Saalachtal region including a stage from Lofer via Maria Kirchental to Unken.

Le chemin de Marie-Madeleine

Line of St. Michael (Via Sancti Michaelis)

A legendary alignment of seven sanctuaries dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel stretching 2,000 kilometers from Ireland to Israel. According to tradition, this sacred ley line represents the sword of St. Michael struck into the earth during his battle with Lucifer. ## The Seven Sanctuaries 1. **Skellig Michael** (Ireland) 1. **St Michael's Mount** (Cornwall, England) 1. **Mont Saint-Michel** (Normandy, France) 1. **Sacra di San Michele** (Piedmont, Italy) — the midpoint 1. **Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo** (Monte Sant'Angelo, Puglia, Italy) 1. **Monastery of Archangel Michael Panormitis** (Symi, Greece) 1. **Stella Maris Monastery** (Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel) The alignment passes through the Sacra di San Michele at exactly the halfway point between Mont Saint-Michel and Monte Sant'Angelo, the three most important medieval shrines to the Archangel in Europe. Remarkably, all seven sanctuaries align with the setting sun on the summer solstice.

Marienpilgerweg

Pilgrim Route of St. John Paul II (Lithuania)

Pilgrims Way to Canterbury

Pinzgauer Marienweg

A 135 km Marian pilgrimage route through the Pinzgau region of Salzburg, established in 2011. The classic route ("Der Klassische") leads from Jochbergwald over Pass Thurn through five Marian churches, ending at Maria Kirchental, known as the "Pinzgauer Dom." Connects the major Marian shrines of the Salzburg region.

Route des Sanctuaires (Québec pilgrimage circuit)

Ruta de la Reconquista

Ruta del peregrino (Jalisco)

Sappada-Wallfahrt

St Olav Waterway

St Paul Trail

St. Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden)

The Camino del Norte a Chimayó

The Way of Arles - Via Tolosana

The Way of St Andrews

The Way of St James - Via Podiensis

The Way of Tours – Via Turonensis

Travesia Andariega

Via Mariae

Via Romea Germanica

Via Sacra (Austria)

Via Sancti Martini

**Via Sancti Martini** (The Way of Saint Martin) is a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe connecting pilgrimage sites associated with Saint Martin of Tours (c. 316–397), the Roman soldier who became Bishop of Tours and one of the most venerated saints of medieval Christendom. The route traces Martin's life journey from his birthplace in Szombathely, Hungary, through Italy, and across France to Tours, where he served as bishop and where his tomb became one of the great pilgrimage destinations of medieval Europe. The route passes through numerous towns and cities that preserve Martin's memory, including Paray-le-Monial in Burgundy. **Route Information:** - **Start:** Szombathely, Hungary - **End:** Tours, France - **Length:** Approximately 2,500 km - **Countries:** Hungary, Italy, France - **Council of Europe designation:** 2005 **Key Stops:** - Szombathely (Hungary) – Martin's birthplace - Pavia (Italy) – Where Martin was raised - Tours (France) – Martin's episcopal see and burial place - Candes-Saint-Martin (France) – Where Martin died **Website:** [culturerouteofstmartin.com](http://culturerouteofstmartin.com/)

Way of St. James Via Regia (Poland)

The Way of St. James Via Regia (Droga św. Jakuba Via Regia) is the Polish section of the ancient Via Regia trade route, now revived as a pilgrim path leading toward Santiago de Compostela. The route follows the medieval "Royal Road" that once connected Kyiv to the Iberian Peninsula through Lviv, Przemyśl, Kraków, Wrocław, and onward through Germany. The first Polish section was opened on October 6, 2006, from Brzeg through Wrocław and Legnica to the German border at Zgorzelec. In subsequent years, the route expanded eastward through Pilzno, Tarnów, Brzesko, Wieliczka, Kraków, Olkusz, Sławków, Będzin, Sączów, Piekary Śląskie, Góra Świętej Anny (St. Anne's Mountain), Opole, Skorogoszcz, and Brzeg. The St. Anne's Mountain section was officially opened on September 15, 2008. Today, the Via Regia in Poland stretches approximately 500 kilometers through diverse landscapes—from the Subcarpathian hills through industrial Upper Silesia to the plains of Lower Silesia. Pilgrims walking the route encounter significant Catholic pilgrimage sites including Piekary Śląskie, the Silesian spiritual capital with its miraculous image of Our Lady, and Góra Świętej Anny with its 15th-century statue of Saint Anne and impressive Calvary. The route is marked with the traditional yellow scallop shell on a blue background. Concrete waymarkers and information boards guide pilgrims along field roads, forest paths, and village streets that often follow remnants of the medieval trade route. ## 🔗 Useful Links - [Droga Świętego Jakuba - Official Polish Camino Website](https://camino.net.pl/) – Maps, stages, and pilgrim information - [Camino Europe - Via Regia](https://camino-europe.eu/en/eu/polen-en-US/jakobswege-en-US/droga-sw-jakuba-via-regia/) – Stage descriptions and route details

Way of Vézelay – Via Lemovicensis

Useful links [https://walkinginfrance.info/pilgrimages/the-way-of-vezelay](https://walkinginfrance.info/pilgrimages/the-way-of-vezelay/) [https://www.gr-infos.com/en/gr654.htm](https://www.gr-infos.com/en/gr654.htm)

Wexford Pembrokeshire Pilgrim Way