From Bohemia to Bavaria and then into the Austrian Tyrol for a total of 458 km: that’s the new stretch of the trans-European pilgrimage route of St James inaugurated on 25 July at Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. The opening of the new pilgrims’ way occurred fittingly on the apostle’s feast day in the presence of the civil and religious authorities representing the dioceses of Ceske Budejovice, Passau and Munich. The route has been reconstructed on the basis of historical sources and permits reunification with another section of the same route that already existed in Tyrol. The 458 km-route now inaugurated passes through the Bohemian Forest, Altötting and the valley of the Inn before reaching Kufstein in the Austrian Tyrol. In this way Altötting in Bavaria and Santiago in Spain are united by the same pilgrims’ way. During the route information is given of suitable hostels and refuges for pilgrims, also at advantageous prices that do not exceed 10 euros per night including breakfast. The work on restoring and reinstating the way took three years.
