All paths lead to Wilsnack - following the pilgrim's path from Berlin to Bad Wilsnack
Not only Rome, Santiago de Compostela and all the other famous names were the destinations of pilgrimage, and remain so until this day. Pilgrims from all over Northern and Central Europe traversed to Wilsnack and made it the third biggest place of pilgrimage in Europe.
When the robber knight Heinrich von Bülow burned down the village Bad Wilsnack, he had no idea what he had put in motion with his heinous crime. The pastor at the time, Johannes Cabbuez, found three sacred, bloodied hosts, that had withstood the fire, in the ruins of the village church. Afterwards, people from all social strata, including princes and kings, pilgrimaged to the holy blood in Wilsnack, thus making the village famous.
At the same time, the Wunderblut worship created great infighting among Europe's religious elite, until the hosts were burned during the Reformation in 1552. Although the onslought of pilrgims subsided, previous travellers had left impressive traces on their way to Wilsnack.
You can travel the 130 km long path on foot or by bike, alone or in a group, and discover solitary field roads, pass forests and meadows, and traverse along picturesque alleys. Explore lovely little village churches und get to know people who take care of your wellbeing along the route. The path's destination, the health resort town Bad Wilsnack, relaxaction for both body and soul await you. Take a walk around the late-Gothic hall church St Nikolai and marvel at its greatness and originalty, and don't forgot view the exhibition “Wunder, Wallfahrt, Widersacher” (“wonders, pilgrimage, adversaries”) to follow the traces of the old oilgrims.
In the health resort town Bad Wilsnack, a local club works to keep up the church and is also the iniator of the pilgrim's path. Here, you find all information on the path. The pilgrim festival takes place every year in August, offering a lot of fun, tasty delicacies, an artisan market as well as concerts and plays, performed by laypeople, of the history of the pilgrim's route to Wilsnack. There's more: the “Theater am Pilgerweg” (theater at the pilgrim's path) takes place as a “wandering theater” on the road on selected dates.