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The Via Francisca, a little-known pilgrimage route through Switzerland, tries to step out of the shadow of the Way of St. James.
“Walking is man’s best medicine,” is a quote from the most famous Greek doctor of antiquity, Hippocrates of Kos. Pilgrimage has always been popular. And anyone who thinks of a pilgrimage route cannot avoid the Way of St. James – probably the best-known pilgrimage route with a network of routes through the whole of Europe and with a destination in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
The Way of St. James is by no means the only pilgrimage route in Switzerland. Another, the Via Francisca, leads from Konstanz on Lake Constance across eastern Switzerland via Graubünden to Rome. The Italian section from Varese south is better known than the Swiss section. A local club now wants to change this.
But the way there still seems long. In German-speaking Switzerland, the Via Francisca is not signposted as such, but from the Lukmanier Pass, i.e. in the canton of Ticino, it is.
The president of the “Friends of the Via Francisca – Switzerland” association, Hermann Heiter, says the path has great historical significance. But hardly anyone in German-speaking Switzerland would know him. At the time of the Council of Constance 600 years ago, goods were often transported between Constance and Rome.
Individual stage locations on the Via Francisca
But the history of the Via Francisca goes back much further: “It is also the path of the emperors. Many emperors traveled along this route between Germany and northern Italy. It was also a trade route and a route for army troops.” In addition to emperors and representatives of the Catholic Church, pilgrims were on the way early on.
Sisters’ path Via Francigena gives hope
The goal of the association, founded in 2022: continuous signage from the canton of Thurgau to Graubünden. As in Ticino and Italy: “In northern Italy the path is already very well known because various media reported on it. I hope that in a few years the Via Francisca will be as well-known as the Way of St. James,” says Heiter.
A hope that is not impossible. This is shown by the sister path of the Via Francisca, the Via Francigena. This pilgrimage route from Canterbury (England) to Rome, which also leads through the cantons of Vaud and Valais and over the Great St. Bernard to the Italian capital, was revived 25 years ago. Over 30,000 pilgrims now travel this route every year.
If the Via Francisca develops in a similar way, this will have positive effects: “A pilgrim travels from Kreuzlingen to Ponte Tresa for 15 days. That means: He has to stay overnight 15 times, drink coffee 15 times in the morning, eat lunch and dinner 15 times. Multiply that by the number of pilgrims who come,” says Hermann Heiter.
Start your own hike
He doesn’t want to claim that 30,000 pilgrims will suddenly come. But, Heiter continues: “It is trendy to spend holidays ecologically and slowly. Over 400,000 people now come to Santiago de Compostela every year. Initiatives have already been taken there to counteract the masses.”
In order to attract pilgrims to the Via Francisca, Hermann Heiter’s association approaches cantonal tourism authorities and mayors. The need for continuous signage is in place. To start, Hermann Heiter and ten companions hiked across Thurgau. With the hope of open ears.