Since the 1990s pilgrimage has experienced a true renaissance. Hiking on ancient pilgrimage trails is fascinating more and more people. Nowadays, many are searching for a compensation for increasing automisation, for overstraining deadlines and the flood of information. Some are looking for the nearness to the divine and a new path to Christian faith. Others are just enjoying the beauty of the nature or the cultural landscape.

By providing people of various back-grounds, believers and non-believers of various religions, with an opportunity to get together, pilgrim routes like the Santiago Routes (300,000 pilgrims yearly) serve as a symbol, reflecting over one thousand years of European history and as a way of cultural cooperation for Europe. Walking long distances pilgrims experience very intensively the culture and history along the way. At the same time they get to know their personal and emotional situation better. Modern pilgrims are facing new experiences, are exposed to sun, wind and weather, but  can gain strength and inspiration.