The university and Hanseatic city of Greifswald is a city with maritime charm close to the Bay of Greifswald (Greifswalder Bodden), between the islands of Rügen and Usedom. Alongside the Hanseatic League, the founding of the university in 1456 contributed significantly to its development and still does today. Greifswald gained worldwide fame through the paintings of Caspar David Friedrich, one of the most important painters of the Romantic period. He made the Eldena monastery ruins a central motif of his work.
Greifswald

10 Years of the European Route of Brick Gothic Association
For two and a half days, members of the “European Route of Brick Gothic” Association celebrated its 10th anniversary in Greifswald – the place where the Association was founded 10 years ago. Over the course of two days – from 24 to 26 September 2017 – guests attending the celebrations in Greifswald were given a night watchman tour and detailed guided tours of St. Nikolai Cathedral and the Marienkirche. On 25 September 2017, a ship took attendees to the monastery ruin of Eldena in the nearby fishing village of Wieck. In the evening, guests from the worlds of politics and tourism joined the festivities in the beautiful setting of the Pomeranian State Museum. On foundation day, 26 September 2017, the Association held its Annual General Meeting, summarised the successes of the past 10 years and looked ahead to the coming year. For ten years, the Association has been working hand-in-hand with monument conservators and tourism experts to successfully preserve Brick Gothic’s cultural heritage. The German Foundation for Monument Conservation (Deutschen Stiftung Denkmalschutz) first drew attention to this special architectural style in the 1990s through its local initiative “On The Trail of Brick Gothic” (Wege zur Backsteingotik), which focused on northern […]

10 Jahre Europäische Route der Backsteingotik e. V. *
Zweieinhalb Tage lang begingen Mitglieder des Vereins “Europäische Route der Backsteingotik e. V.” seinen 10-jährigen Geburtstag in Greifswald – dem Ort, an dem der Verein vor 10 Jahren gegründet wurde. Vom 24. bis 26. September 2017 lernten die Teilnehmer der Feierlichkeit Greifswald bei einer Nachtwächterführung sowie detaillierten Führungen im Dom St. Nikolai und der Marienkirche besser kennen. Per Schiff ging es am 25. September 2017 zudem zur Klosterruine Eldena ins nahegelegene Fischerdorf Wieck. Abends wurde mit Gästen aus Politik und Tourismus im schönen Ambiente des Pommerschen Landesmuseums gefeiert. Am Gründungstag, dem 26. September 2017, hielt der Verein seine jährliche Mitgliederversammlung ab, rekapitulierte die erfolgreichen letzten 10 Jahre und gab einen Ausblick ins kommende Jahr. Seit nunmehr zehn Jahren arbeiten im Verein sehr erfolgreich Denkmalpfleger und Touristiker Hand-in-Hand, um das Kulturerbe Backsteingotik zu erhalten. Den Blick auf diesen besonderen Baustil lenkte zunächst die Deutschen Stiftung Denkmalschutz in den 1990er Jahren mit ihrer lokal auf Norddeutschland begrenzten Initiative „Wege zur Backsteingotik“. Dieser Initiative folgte das EU-Projekt „Europäische Route der Backsteingotik (EuRoB)“ von 2002 bis 2007. An diesem Projekt nahmen Städte rund um die ganze Ostsee bis ins Baltikum und Schweden teil. Im Anschluss an das EU-Projekt gründet sich der Verein am 26. […]

The story of the European Route of Brick Gothic
Photo: panorama of Chełmno © E. Pawelec 1 October 2018 European Route of Brick Gothic: Attractive heritage of regions and cities Bricks are everywhere in the Baltic Sea region. They are historical witnesses of the middle ages in northern European coastal countries. This authenticity and the common architectural language associated with medieval brick buildings are the focus of the association European Route of Brick Gothic (EuRoB). EuRoB began as a project funded by Interreg back in 2002. Today it is a cultural route of 1500 km along the Baltic Sea coast. The technique of baking red bricks was brought to the Baltic Sea region from Italy in the 12th century. This novelty was a bliss to northern European countries where commonly used building material such as stone and timber were running low. This technique was distributed among some 200 towns of the Hanseatic League. Gradually, baked bricks became the prevailing building material and townscapes along the Baltic Sea flourished in different shades of red. As these buildings visually share characteristics widespread in other styles of Gothic architecture, the new style was called Brick Gothic. Roots of the Route The idea for the European Route of Brick Gothic originates from Professor […]

Att baka katedraler
Photo: Stralsund, Town Hall and St. Nikolai © Tourismuszentrale Stralsund ”Förhoppning” heter en en dikt av Edith Södergran, ur Septemberlyran (1918). Den hör till hennes mest älskade och det är lätt att förstå varför. Bildspråket är djärvt. Här kavlas ärmar upp för att av diktens jäsande deg knåda till något stort. ”Innan jag dör / bakar jag en katedral.” Det är bland annat det djärva kastet mellan förhoppning och förvissning som gör det. Katedral ska det bli. Här är ett diktjag som har upptäckt sina dimensioner. Men hur upptäckte hon bilden? Katedralbakning är inte någon känd syssla. Eller kanske ändå. Södergran kan ha tagit tyskan tilll hjälp. Det gör hon rätt ofta, i ordval, syntax, grammatik. Någon gång stjälper det mer än det hjälper. Någon gång blir det mera drastiskt på det viset, som när jaget i en dikt ligger inte på magen utan på buken. Så gör man på tyska. Södergrans ”Förhoppning” följde mig på vägen när jag nyligen körde längs Tysklands numera inte så långa östersjökust, från Lübeck till Usedom. Inte minst tack vare Hansans under flera sekler expansiva ekonomi kantas kusten av ett rart pärlband av burget byggda medeltida rödtegelkyrkor. De lanserar sig lite olika. En är […]

Visit from Japan
We are very pleased that Prof. Dr. Tadashi Saito, Professor of architecture and architectural history from Tokyo/Japan, visited us at our office in Berlin. He is not only dedicated to the research of architectural monuments, but also very interested in cultural tourism. We had a conversation with him about our work and received this great feedback: „Thank you very much for the opportunity that I was able to greet you personally yesterday in your wonderful office. I was so moved that you told me so passionately but also in detail, and of course with great pride, the story and all the experiences connected with Brick Gothic activities.“

New information boards unveiled at 5 cultural monuments in Flensburg
Photo, from left to right: Monument curator and European Route of Brick Gothic Association board member Eiko Wenzel, Tourism Manager Gorm Casper (from the Flensburger Förde tourism agency), Pastor Sylvia Fuchs from St. Mary’s, Pastor Dr Marcus Friedrich from St. Nikolai Cathedral. The information boards in the design of the European Route of Brick Gothic were unveiled in front of the Nikolai Church. On the right, you can see the typical polychrome brickwork of the southern vestibule of St. Nikolai, built at the beginning of the 15th century according to models from the Lübisch-Mecklenburg area. © Anja Pfaff Flensburg, 27 December 2018 The new year is just around the corner and with it comes a great number of tourists visiting Flensburg in 2019. But there’ll be something new for the locals as well as the tourists this year. Five information boards have been fitted on some of the city’s characteristic Brick Gothic buildings. Tourism Manager Gorm Casper ceremoniously unveiled the information boards yesterday. Now, the public can read these boards and find out more about these typical medieval buildings at St. Nikolai Cathedral, St. Mary’s Church, St. John’s Church and the Church of the Holy Spirit as well as the […]

Day of Brick Gothic
On Saturday, June 15, 2019, is the Day of Brick Gothic! In Germany, Denmark and Poland, numerous members of the European Route of Brick Gothic invite to a special cultural program, like exhibition openings, exciting tours and exclusive insights into the subject of Brick Gothic. The 17 participating cities in 2019 are: Anklam, Bad Doberan, Burg Stargard, Chełmno (PL), Chorin, Frankfurt/Oder, Gdańsk (PL), Greifswald, Grudziądz (PL), Güstrow, Lübeck, Lüneburg, Olsztyn (PL), Płock (PL), Prenzlau, Roskilde (DK) and Wolgast. Program (will be updated regularly): Anklam: Click here for the program (in German) Bad Doberan: Das Münster ist geöffnet von 9-18 Uhr 10-18 Uhr Doberaner Klostermarkt Führungen: 11:00 Uhr Münsterführung 11:00 Uhr Führung von Kindern für Kinder 12:00 Uhr Führung ins Dachgewölbe, Turm, Glocken 13:00 Uhr Führung Münster und Klostergelände 14:00 Uhr Münsterführung mit thematischem Schwerpunkt 15:00 Uhr Führung ins Dachgewölbe, Turm, Glocken 18:00 Uhr Konzert im Münster: „Ein Feuerwerk und Unvollendetes“. Orchesterwerke von Händel, Schubert und Haydn, Sinfonieorchester der Stephanuskirche Hamburg, Leitung: Georgij Munteanu. Eintritt frei, Spende erbeten. Burg Stargard: Burgbaumeisterführung mit dem Baumeister der Höhenburg Stargard zu Burg Stargard – Henricus de Wodensweg Um 11:00 Uhr, um 14:30 Uhr sowie um 15:30 Uhr Chełmno: “Obejmij gotyk” w Chełmnie podczas “Europejskiego […]
Logo
Our logo can be used free of charge for the illustration of editorial contributions on the European Route of Brick Gothic. Likewise, on request, you can use certain photos by crediting the relevant photographer and copyright information. Unless otherwise stated, the copyright lies with the European Route of Brick Gothic (EuRoB). For other purposes of use, we ask you to clarify potential cost and copyright issues in advance with us. Contact us: Europäische Route der Backsteingotik e. V. Dr. Edith Kowalski Email: info@eurob.org Tel.: +49 30 206 132 555

Monasteries on the European Route of Brick Gothic – Brick Gothic in the KLOSTERLAND
Many thanks to our cooperation partner KLOSTERLAND! „Monasteries on the European Route of Brick Gothic – Brick Gothic in the KLOSTERLAND?! This is both from the perspective of the European Route of Brick Gothic as well as the KLOSTERLAND an exciting topic that the two associations will tackle together from now on, as was decided in a small group today. Although the two organizations have been linked by mutual membership for several years, the meeting today was a small reboot. Last summer, KLOSTERLAND opted for a strategic reorientation towards #Kompetenzstelle for #Klosterkultur. Dr. Edith Kowalski took over the management of the #EuRoB office in May 2018. A mutual desire is to work more closely together in the future and implement concrete cooperation projects, such as travel offers, theme days / years or similar. We look forward to further cooperation and wish EuRoB and our cooperation a successful year 2019!“ Blog by Lara Buschmann and Stefan Beier

The Gothic in Gdańsk
On the 25th and 26th of April 2019, the city of Gdańsk in Poland celebrates the 10th anniversary of Gdańsk’s membership of the European Route of Brick Gothic, with many guests from monument preservation, science and tourism and an interesting cultural program (conference on the topic of Brick Gothic, outdoor exhibition and tour of Gdańsk). The conference takes place in the so called „Dwór Artusa“ and will be simultaneously translated into English. You can register for the conference via the registration form on visitgdansk.com (in English).

SHARING HERITAGE network meeting 2018 + 1
120 participants, 60 presentations and many dedicated ideas at the SHARING HERITAGE network meeting 2018 + 1 SHARING HERITAGE is a community about European cultural heritage, heritage preservation, monument protection, heritage education and Baukultur initiated by the German Cultural Heritage Committee (Deutsches Nationalkomitee für Denkmalschutz). Following up on the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, the community will continue SHARING HERITAGE in 2019. On April 2nd the SHARING HERITAGE community met in Schloss Charlottenburg in Berlin to present project results and to look back on the European Heritage Year of Cultural Heritage. In particular, the participation of young cultural heirs was identified as a common challenge. Most promoters or projects want to continue in 2019, so does the association European Route of Brick Gothic. The European Route of Brick Gothic also participated in the European Year of Cultural Heritage in 2018, which was celebrated throughout Europe under the motto “Sharing Heritage”, and on the occasion of the Heritage Year, launched the Brick Gothic Day. Also this year the Day of Brick Gothic will be celebrated again by numerous member cities in Denmark, Germany and Poland with various events around the topic of Brick Gothic. The German Cultural Heritage Committee thanks […]

Anniversary Conference “Gothic in Gdańsk”
Brick Gothic in Gdańsk – Anniversary Conference on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Gdańsk’s membership in the European Route of Brick Gothic [Text currently only in German and Polish] Zahlreiche Experten für gotische Ziegel kamen nach Danzig, die „Stadt der Freiheit, Solidarität und Backsteingotik“ – vor allem aus den Städten, die in der internationalen Vereinigung Europäische Route der Backsteingotik e.V. zusammengeschlossen sind, zu der unsere Stadt seit 10 Jahren gehört, aber nicht nur. Die zweitägige Konferenz (25. und 26. April 2019) im Danziger Artushof (Dwór Artusa) widmete sich dem gotischen Erbe nicht nur aus Sicht der Wissenschaftler, sondern auch als einzigartiges touristisches Produkt. Die Europäische Route der Backsteingotik ist ein internationales Kulturnetzwerk mit einer Bildungsmission, in dem derzeit 42 deutsche, dänische und polnische Städte zusammengeschlossen sind, in denen gotische Ziegel- bzw. Backsteindenkmäler bis heute erhalten sind. Eine der acht polnischen Städte des Vereins ist Danzig, auf dessen backsteingotischer Route sich unter anderem befinden: die Marienkirche („Bazylika Konkatedralna Najświętszej Marii Panny“, eine der größten Backsteinkirchen nördlich der Alpen), die Kirche des Hl. Nikolaus („Kościół św. Mikołaja“, die älteste Kirche in Danzig, gegründet im 12. Jahrhundert), die Große Mühle („Wielki Młyn“), das Krantor („Żuraw“), das Rathaus und viele mehr. An […]

Day of Brick Gothic 2019
15 June 2019 is the Day of Brick Gothic! In Germany, Denmark and Poland, numerous members of the European Route of Brick Gothic invite the public on this day to enjoy special events, fascinating tours and exclusive insights. Several German, Polish and Danish cities along the European Route of Brick Gothic will celebrate the Day of Brick Gothic on Saturday, 15 June 2019, and present a diverse programme revolving around Brick Gothic. They will show which treasures their architecture has to offer, which ideas they have to get visitors interested in Brick Gothic and how they maintain and convey our cultural heritage. From exhibitions, concerts and special tours for children and adults, to exciting talks, discussions with experts or a varied family afternoon – the Day of Brick Gothic offers the right programme for every visitor. The history of the Middle Ages, the Hanseatic League and Brick Gothic is brought to life on this day. The member cities of the European Route of Brick Gothic combine the shared cultural heritage of Brick Gothic – the Medieval Brick Gothic architecture predominantly in the Baltic Sea region, which they aim to convey together to the general public. An important shared goal is […]

Day of Brick Gothic
On Saturday, June 15, numerous members of the European Route of Brick Gothic in Germany, Denmark and Poland celebrated the Day of Brick Gothic and invited to a special cultural program like exhibition openings, concerts, exciting tours and exclusive insights into the subject of Brick Gothic. The 18 participating cities in 2019 were: Anklam, Bad Doberan, Burg Stargard, Chełmno (PL), Chorin, Frankfurt/Oder, Gdańsk (PL), Greifswald, Grudziądz (PL), Güstrow, Lübeck, Lüneburg, Myślibórz (PL), Olsztyn (PL), Płock (PL), Prenzlau, Roskilde (DK) and Wolgast. We are looking forward to next year! The Day of Brick Gothic always takes place on the 3rd Saturday in June.

Day of Brick Gothic in Myślibórz
In order to confirm this year’s joining of Myślibórz to the European Route of Brick Gothic, various games and competitions have been organized under the motto “Myślibórz on the European Route of Brick Gothic” on June 15th, the Day of Brick Gothic. At the same time the “Festivities of Myślibórz” (“Dni Myśliborza”) were celebrated, of which the main organizer was the Cultural Center of Myślibórz (MOK Myśliborski Ośrodek Kultury). The Myślibórz Lake District Museum (Muzeum Pojezierza Myśliborskiego) organized an art competition for all interested children and the whole family. The main theme were the Brick Gothic monuments of Myślibórz, and together a model of the city with three-dimensional jewels of gothic architecture was build. The Municipal and District Library of Myślibórz also participated in the event. At the library stand a lottery was held, where knowledge of the history and the monuments of the town of Myślibórz was in demand. Special mention must be made of the fact that all the cultural institutions of the town of Myślibórz are housed in historic buildings dating back to the Middle Ages. text: Katarzyna Królak, Gmina Myślibórz photo: Alicja Schroeder

General Meeting 2021
The 15th General Meeting of the European Route of Brick Gothic will take place September 15-17, 2021 in Neubrandenburg. Further information will be announced.

Brick Gothic group tours for the first time starting in 2020
Due to high demand, the association European Route of Brick Gothic offers group trips to the top Brick Gothic sights starting next year! The trips are organised in cooperation with the tour operator ReiseMission. The cooperation between the association and the tour operator begins with the group trip “Mecklenburg Brick Gothic in Six Days”, which will take place from 5 to 10 May 2020 leaving from Berlin. Registration for the group trip is possible as of now. For the time being, 12 Brick Gothic cities in Germany are involved; further cities and countries (Denmark, Poland) are to follow. The 12 participating cities in 2020 are: Bad Doberan, Burg Stargard, Bützow, Güstrow, Neubrandenburg, Neukloster, Parchim, Ribnitz-Damgarten, Rostock, Schwerin, Stralsund, Wismar. The highlight of each city tour is the Brick Gothic buildings and monuments, but visits also include museums, exhibitions and a brewery. The Leipzig tour operator ReiseMission is a specialist in educational group trips, aimed primarily at all those who are interested in religious and cultural history. Each group is accompanied by a professional tour guide and has the opportunity to participate in meetings and discussions with experts in church, culture and society. The managing director of the European Route of […]

Day of Brick Gothic 2021
19 June 2021 is the Day of Brick Gothic! On this day, numerous members of the European Route of Brick Gothic invite the public to enjoy special events, fascinating tours and exclusive insights. The member cities of the European Route of Brick Gothic combine the shared cultural heritage of Brick Gothic – the Medieval Brick Gothic architecture predominantly in the Baltic Sea region, which they aim to convey together to the general public. An important shared goal is to inspire people for conserving this cultural heritage. The special day declared by the European Route of Brick Gothic is held throughout Europe every year on the third Saturday in June and raises awareness of the cultural heritage of Brick Gothic. The occasion for the first Day of Brick Gothic in 2018 was the European Year of Cultural Heritage, which was celebrated across Europe with the idea of “Sharing Heritage”. In Germany, Denmark and Poland, the Day of Brick Gothic is realised through the combined effort of representatives of monument preservation, science, the Church, tourism and administration and is implemented in cooperation with the European Route of Brick Gothic. The participating cities and towns as well as the program for 2021 will […]

Rostock now a member of the European Route of Brick Gothic
Rostock, with its typical Brick Gothic architecture, was one of the most important Hanseatic cities in the Middle Ages alongside Lübeck and Wismar. It has now joined the Danish, German and Polish “European Route of Brick Gothic” network. With this membership, the Hanseatic university city of Rostock aims to make its many Brick Gothic architectural treasures in their cultural and historical context known throughout Europe. It is working with the association to foster awareness of their common cultural heritage of Brick Gothic among the general public. Before the association was founded in September 2007, when it was still in the project phase and financed by the EU, Rostock was already a partner of the European Route of Brick Gothic. Rostock’s new mayor, Claus Ruhe Madsen from Denmark, has chosen to breathe new life into this former successful collaboration. “We are united by a common history whose legacy lives on in various places on both sides of the Baltic Sea. What’s more, Rostock has many various places of interest to offer Danish and Polish tourists who wish to stay for longer visits – not just short stopovers”, says Claus Ruhe Madsen. Joint publishing efforts like the Culture Guidebook as well as […]

Day of Brick Gothic 2021
19 June 2021 is the Day of Brick Gothic! On this day, numerous members of the European Route of Brick Gothic invite the public to enjoy special events, fascinating tours and exclusive insights. The member cities of the European Route of Brick Gothic combine the shared cultural heritage of Brick Gothic – the Medieval Brick Gothic architecture predominantly in the Baltic Sea region, which they aim to convey together to the general public. An important shared goal is to inspire people for conserving this cultural heritage. The special day declared by the European Route of Brick Gothic is held throughout Europe every year on the third Saturday in June and raises awareness of the cultural heritage of Brick Gothic. The occasion for the first Day of Brick Gothic in 2018 was the European Year of Cultural Heritage, which was celebrated across Europe with the idea of “Sharing Heritage”. In Germany, Denmark and Poland, the Day of Brick Gothic is realised through the combined effort of representatives of monument preservation, science, the Church, tourism and administration and is implemented in cooperation with the European Route of Brick Gothic. The participating cities and towns as well as the program for 2021 will […]