Features

This pilgrimage route leads through small forests, across meadows and through villages to the coast of the Greifswald Bodden. A highlight, in both a literal and figurative sense, is climbing the church tower in Gristow.

Directions

The trail begins at the Jager chapel. It was built in 1830. The previous chapel, probably from the 15th century, was a half-timbered building with a ridge turret and was longer and narrower than the present chapel.

From the Jager chapel, walk to the district road (K19). Turn right here and follow the road until a path branches off to the left directly behind the railroad tracks and the former railroad crossing keeper's house.

Follow this path through a forest parallel to the railroad tracks. Turn right at the first opportunity and follow the road to “Jeeser”. In “Jeeser”, turn right at the fork and walk out of the village on the road. After about 400 meters, behind a horse farm, a paved path branches off to the left. Take this path over the main road (B105) and continue straight ahead, then turn right at “Hof Suhrbier” and follow the sign “Strand” to “Tremt Hof Brüggemann”. Turn right here, then follow the sign for “Strand” to the left, past “Tremt Hof Gronow” and straight ahead to a gravel parking lot and the small beach. A bench and a bench-table combination invite you to take a break.

If you continue along the coastal path to the right as far as Gristow, there are two more benches with a beautiful view of the water and reeds and of Zudar on Rügen Island on the opposite side. Three bays also invite you to swim in shallow water.

At forks, keep to the left near the reed belt.

Birch trees planted in rows announce “Riemserort”.

Behind the last birches on the side of the road is a sports field. The road ends here at the coast, turns right, then goes past the former school (on the left) up the hill through the residential street “Schulstraße”. At the end, turn left up “Bukowberg” and then right downhill. The church tower of Gristow appears in view. That is the next destination. First, there is a footpath along the road and then to the left on the dike with a very beautiful view of the coastline, which is repeatedly interrupted by the water. The view from the church tower is even more impressive.

Behind the older parsonage, the restaurant “De Fischer un sin Fru” offers a place to rest.

Variant

If you opt for the shorter route, turn right onto a forest road on the district road (K19) behind the railroad tracks directly in front of the blue-painted “Bücherwaldhaus” and into the forest.

At a three-way fork, two go straight ahead and then both make a slight left turn. The third path goes to the right. Here, take the second from the left, i.e. the middle one. At the next T-junction, turn left. And at the next junction, the route turns right, at the end of the forest turn left, here the path climbs up a small hill, the forest edge remains on the left, open meadows on the right. On the hilltop, a paved path branches off to the right at an acute angle.

After about a kilometer, on the left, on the now overgrown hill, once stood a tower castle. There is nothing left of the wooden and stone construction. But the two hilltops bear witness to the two parts – a “castle interior” and a “outer bailey”.

Back on the paved path, follow it to its end through the open landscape. Even without slabs on the subsequent dirt road, continue straight ahead to another T-junction. A petroleum pump can be seen straight ahead across the meadow.

At the T-junction, the route of this short variant leads right along the paved path, and you continue to follow the route of the big tour.

Behind the restaurant, turn right and continue on Deichweg. At the end of the road, turn right and then follow the village road “Riemser Weg” to the left out of the village. The route now runs parallel to the country road, then turns left onto the foot and bike path towards Greifswald, parallel to the B105. Behind the entrance to the nature adventure park, cross the busy B105 and walk towards “Kowall”. At the first crossroads, turn left, then right past a courtyard and a gravel pit, which is closed off with a red and white barrier. Behind it, turn right onto an old paved path that can no longer be used with a normal car.

The short variant joins this paved path at the level of the oil pump.

On this section, it goes straight ahead for a long time over meadows until the path turns into a gravel path at a crossroads. Continue straight ahead on this path. At a T-junction, turn right onto the old cobblestone path into the forest, cross the level crossing of the former Mesekenhagen train station and continue to a clearing where six paths branch off. The path to the right is the right one here, past an old oak tree. When the path leads to a sandy road, continue to the right. From here you can already see some houses of Jager. After the place name sign, turn right to the pilgrims' hostel and continue straight ahead to the chapel of Jager, the starting point of this tour.