Pilgrimage route through the north of Germany
From the Weser to the Baltic Sea, the approximately 600-kilometre-long themed cycle route follows the Christianisation of the north, to which the centuries-old churches built of fieldstone and brick in the northern German countryside still bear witness today. In total, there are more than 100 churches and monasteries along the route.
Particularly keen travellers can obtain a Monks' Way cycle pilgrimage pass and have it stamped at the various places of worship and guesthouses. However, it is not only the Christian religion that is at the centre of the Mönchsweg, but also the natural landscapes of the region. These include the Alte Land on the Elbe with its extensive orchards, the gently undulating landscape of Holstein Switzerland formed by the most recent ice age and the sunny holiday island of Fehmarn in the Baltic Sea.
The route runs mainly on quiet country roads, separate cycle paths and farm tracks. The quality of the paths is good and there are only a few unpaved sections. The Mönchsweg is signposted throughout with a blue and white logo.
GPX data
You can download the GPX track for retracing the Mönchsweg download here for free
Journey
By train to the starting point in Bremen and back from the destination in Puttgarden. There are also various railway stations along the route. The return journey from Fehmarn to Bremen takes around three hours with a change of trains.
Organised trips
Organising three- and seven-day individual cycle tours with luggage transfer www.stade-tourismus.de and www.glueckstadt-tourismus.de
Tour combinations
The Mönchsweg can be easily combined with the North Sea Coastal Cycle Route, the Elbe Cycle Route, the Weser Cycle Route and the Baltic Sea Coastal Cycle Route.
Worth seeing
■ Bremen Roland and Town Musicians
■ Otto Modersohn Museum in Fischerhude
■ Hogendiek Bridge in Steinkirchen in the Altes Land region
■ Hanseatic harbour and Stade art museum
■ Ost-Hemmoor transporter bridge
■ Prinzenhaus and castle in Plön
Eutin Castle
■ Flügger lighthouse on Fehmarn
Overnight stay
Holiday farm Radlandsichten in Malente, www.radlandsichten.de
Mini-hotel in Gyhum, www.mini-hotel.de
Hotel Stadt Hamburg in Heiligenhafen, hotelstadthamburg.net/en/
Flair-Landhotel Strengliner Mühle in Pronstorf-Strenglin, www.strenglinermuehle.de
Guest house Sulsdorf on Fehmarn, gaestehaus-sulsdorf.de
Literature / Maps
Free brochure as PDF: www.moenchsweg.de; printed together with cycle pilgrim's pass by calling 04351/8805573
Bikeline cycle tour book "Mönchsweg - Cycling through Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein - From Bremen to Fehmarn", 140 pages, with detailed maps, 1:50,000
More info
www.moenchsweg.de
The tour planner "Pilgrimage routes for cyclists" with the Mönchsweg and other pilgrimage routes was featured in MYBIKE issue 3/2018. You can download the issue in the MYBIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or in the DK-Shop order.
